The Heart of Two
by AnakinCaffrey
Summary: In war, many things change. Feelings being one of them. Anakin's undergo a massive turn around because of stress and a change of heart. Is the change for better or for worse?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer for the entire story: I do not own anything Star Wars related.**

**Prologue**

The winds whipped around us. I could hardly see in front of me.

Grains of sand blew everywhere, hitting the faces of my squadron.

Nightfall arrived and we were off our guard. Was any of this really worth it? I was beginning to doubt the mission.

"_Ahsoka!_"

Her face fades away into the night with a scream as we separate.

How could I live without her?

Could I ever tell her how much she meant to me?


	2. The First Feelings

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

My nightmares keep coming back. I can hardly sleep at night because I'm worried about my wife.

Yes, I'm a Jedi Knight and I have a wife. I couldn't help myself but form an attachment to the woman I loved from the moment I met her.

I sat up on the bed and looked over my shoulder to see her sleeping form. Her shoulders would rise with each breath she drew and released. She is so beautiful.

I just realized how lucky I am to have this woman by my side. Albeit, our love is a forbidden secret...

I called my robe over to me with the Force and wrapped it around myself. Suddenly the apartment seemed cold. This was the norm for me after awakening from this sort of fantasy. I knew that nothing would become of it because it was just my mind playing tricks on me.

This fantasy was nothing like the premonitions I received before my mother's death. These were tricks. Nothing could cause that much pain or treachery.

Before I could leave the room, she woke. "Anakin? Is everything all right?"

I turned around to face my brunette. "Yes, my love. It was just a dream. I'm sorry that I woke you."

I leaned over to kiss her forehead and she leaned into it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I smiled, "It was nothing, really. Let's go back to sleep."

She pulled my face closer to hers and our lips touched for a few moments in a passionate kiss. She pulled back and grasped my mechanical hand.

"Ani, I'm here if you need to talk. I don't want us to drift apart because of something like this."

"I won't let us drift because of this, Padme. It was just a silly dream. My mind is playing tricks on me. I love you," I whispered.

"Why is your mind playing tricks?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'm going to assume that it's the lack of sleep or adrenaline from the constant battles."

"Sleep now," she said, soothingly.

I laid down beside her and she threw her arm across my bare chest. Her face nuzzled into the crook of my neck and she held me close to her. Her warmth was welcomed and soothing.

I watched her breathe for a while, beginning to drift off into my own sleep. I saw darkness enclosing around me as my eyelids began to shut.

As soon as they shut, the nightmare returned in full force.

There were screams and blasts. I looked around and saw a blur of people. No face showed a definite being, but a faceless mortal.

Why was this dream so important that it reoccurred? I would go see Master Yoda about it in the morning. I needed to talk to someone wise and knowing about this.

Not to say that Padme isn't wise or unknowing. She's quite a bit of both, to tell the truth.

It was a rare occasion that I was able to stay with her on Coruscant, but I didn't feel the need to bring any of this up. I didn't want her stressed.

I have to get up in a little while to train my padawan, Ahsoka Tano. I might as well get a little more sleep. Perhaps I'll see Yoda later in the day.

I'm hoping that no missions will come up to get in my way.

**The next morning**

I woke up to the sunlight shining in through the blinds of the large window. Padme was still asleep. She is too lucky sometimes.

I slowly got off of the bed, so as not to wake her. I grabbed my tunic and robe from the chair across the room, throwing them on quickly. I moved toward the dresser and pulled my lightsaber to me. Finally, I put my black glove onto my mechanical hand.

My troops were a bit… uneasy knowing that my hand was made of droid parts. I only felt comfortable without the glove around Padme or Ahsoka. Both were very understanding of my situation and loved me for who I was. Padme loves me as she should; Ahsoka loves me as a father or brother.

I walked to the balcony where my starfighter was stationed. I found it odd how no one said a word about it being at the top of the Senate building.

I climbed into the cockpit and flew over to the Jedi temple.

I put my starfighter in the landing bay and left it. I began my trek toward the quarters Ahsoka and I share.

Upon my arrival, the door slid open. I peered in, looking for the small, energetic Togruta. As far as I could see, she wasn't here.

The refresher door slid open and Ahsoka came out. "Master," she breathed.

"Good morning, Ahsoka."

"Good morning. What are we doing today, Master?"

"That is up to you. I chose to spar last time, so now it's your turn. What do _you _want to do today?"

"Sparring sounds good. After that can we get something to eat?"

I laughed, "Always with the food, Snips. Yes, we can."

She smiled at me, "You're buying today."

My eyes rolled on instinct. "I will just this once, but you owe me."

A small smirk played on her lips, making her look older. She's been assigned to me for almost a year now. She's almost fifteen.

"Are we physically sparring or training with lightsabers?"

I shrugged. "Your choice, remember?"

She paused in thought. "Well, we used lightsabers last time. We can try to attune our senses better without using them."

"Sounds good; let's get going."

She pulled her lightsaber to her from her bed and ran out of the room after me. We went down to the gym.

Master Unduli and Padawan Offee were training, so we decided to wait patiently for them to finish.

Ahsoka and I sat on a bench, sitting in a peaceful silence.

She was watching the lightsabers of the two Jedi with intense fascination. I glanced over in curiosity. Both were trained well with their weapons. I'm assuming Ahsoka can't wait for the day where she and I can do various different movements and neither of us gets injured or frustrated.

Ahsoka's mood changed from excited to sad. I looked down at her, trying to probe her mind. She shivered, probably sensing what I was trying to do.

"Master, please," she said.

"What's wrong?"

She didn't turn to look at me like she usually would. "Nothing's wrong."

"Ahsoka," I said seriously. "Talk to me. I'm your Master and friend."

"Master, do you ever wish that you could go back in time and redo something?"

I sighed, losing myself in thought. "Of course I have. I'm sure many people wish they could do the same. What would you go back to redo?"

She laughed, "The first time we met."

I immediately snapped my full attention to her words. "You… regret meeting me?"

For some odd reason, my heart dropped. I felt different in the pit of my stomach. What exactly was this?

"No! Not at all!" she quickly defended herself. "That is not what I meant, Master."

"What did you mean, then?"

I mentally sighed in relief. For a moment, I had honestly believed that Ahsoka wished she'd never met me, which would cause me more stress.

She finally looked at me. "Master, you do remember our first encounter, right?"

"Yes…"

"You weren't very happy to be receiving me as your student. I wish that I could go back and make you see that it wasn't so bad. I wish you'd been happier to have me."

"I'm really sorry, Ahsoka. I hadn't meant to hurt your feelings. I felt that I wasn't ready to prepare a Padawan. Obi-Wan said that I'd make a great master, which hadn't clued me in on what he was planning at the time. I know I seemed unhappy from the outside, but it was nice to meet you. When you came off of that shuttle…"

Where was I going with this?

"I… felt all of my loneliness fade away. I'd been stuck in my quarters alone for so long since I became a Knight. Our first night was relaxing and calming. I enjoyed your presence in the same room."

She looked shocked. "You really felt that way?"

"Yes and I still do, Ahsoka. I'm happy to have you here with me. Like I just told you, I enjoy your company. I will probably feel the same way for a long time. You mean that much to me."

She smiled widely. "Thank you, Master!"

She scooted closer to me and hugged me. I returned the hug and felt another sensation in the pit of my stomach. What's wrong with me?

"You're welcome, Ahsoka. Just do me a favor."

"What's that?" she asked, pulling back.

"Try to avoid kicking me in the face this time, all right?"

She laughed hysterically. "You still remember that?"

"How could I not? It was extremely painful."

"Don't upset me again and I won't have reason to launch your face from the rest of your body."

I laughed this time. "Well, I won't bring up what happened before, but at least you learned to control and compose yourself when I was on the ground."

"Do you know how bad I felt when I saw you lying on the floor holding your face?"

"Not really. I was kind of going through my own rush of emotions."

"I felt horrible for a month! That's how bad it was."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "It's in the past. Forget about it now, all right? Don't let that one thing cloud your thoughts. Focus on the sparring. I don't want you to get hurt because you're drifting off on me, understand?"

"Yes, Master."

Luminara walked over to me as Barriss left. "Ah, Master Skywalker, how nice it is to see you. Did we hold you two up?"

"Same to you, Master. No, you didn't hold us up at all. We were content with watching you."

She released a brief laugh. "All right, I must be going now. You must take care of yourself and your padawan. I will see you later."

"See you later, Master," I replied.

As she was departing the room, Ahsoka and I got up to begin our training. We put our lightsabers on the bench. They were only here in case an emergency arose, which was likely to happen.

Ahsoka stood on the left side of the court, while I stood opposite of her. She got into her battle stance. It seemed kind of awkward in my eyes, but it worked for her. If she could fight as well as I could using a different stance, then so be it. Who was I to correct her without reason?

"Your move, Ahsoka," I called out.

She laughed. "That's your mistake!"

She sprinted toward me and launched herself into the air. I did a backflip, glancing afterward to see Ahsoka slam her fist into the mat beneath us.

I charged her as she did the same. We both met with equal force that we actually struggled for a few moments until my strength overtook her.

I slammed her onto the ground a bit harshly. "I'm sorry. Are you –?"

Before I realized it, she kicked my chest, pushing me back, and bounced backwards. After standing in front of me, she flipped forward, landing directly on my chest.

"Don't let your guard down, Master," she laughed.

Her small hands were pressed against my chest, causing another sensation to arise.

A pool of emotions took over me so quickly that I didn't know what I was doing.

I lurched forward, pinning her to the floor. My grasp around her wrists was light, but I put enough strength into it so she couldn't get up.

She continued to look up at me, while I stared back. I felt as if my mind was taking a path that I was unsure about walking.

I leaned down toward her face quickly and planted my lips onto her own without another thought.

She squirmed beneath me for a few moments. I felt it, but didn't react.

"Mas – ter!" she cried out.

I was snapped back into reality in that moment and immediately jumped to my feet. "Ahsoka, I'm so sorry."

I reached out for her hand, she wouldn't accept the offer. She stood on her own and left the room.

What was going on with me today?


	3. Thoughts

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I was shocked and upset. Had my master really just _kissed _me? I mean, _me? _

I am almost fifteen and he's twenty-five! I believe that's kind of illegal. He's almost twice my age. Oh, my Force. What am I supposed to think now? How am I going to react to him the next time I see him?

Well, I guess I'll be seeing him soon because we share the same bedroom...

I waited about twenty minutes for Master Skywalker to enter the room and talk to me about what had happened, but he never came. Was he avoiding me now?

Oh. Maybe he went to the mess hall to eat. We did talk about going there after training, before... the kiss.

I guess I had to go talk to him because he was acting like a child and wouldn't come face me.

I jumped off of my bed and walked over to the door, waiting about half a second for it to slid open at my arrival. I walked out and went to the mess hall.

When I got there, I saw a bunch of our clone troopers. It was kind of awkward to see the same person sitting all over the room, eating the same lunch.

I skimmed the room looking for my master, but I couldn't spot him. Huh, that's odd. Everyone here looks exactly the same, but I can't find Master Skywalker.

"Ahsoka, can I talk to you?"

I jumped at the sudden intrusion of my thoughts. I spun around to see him, looking hurt and worried. Was he worried that I would tell the Council about what he did?

"Yes, Master?"

"I want to apologize for my actions. I take full responsibility and I understand completely if you want to speak with the Council about what I did. It was completely uncalled for. I don't know what came over me at that moment. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable or take advantage of you like that. I truly am sorry and I hope that someday you'll forgive me."

I shifted my weight slightly, thinking of something to say that would make him feel better.

"Master..."

I still couldn't think of anything, so I just looked at him. His dark blue eyes looked darker and his face seemed tortured. Was he really that upset over this?

"I forgive you. I'm not going to tell the Council because it was accident. You apologized and that's what counts. I was a bit uncomfortable, but I'm okay now. I'm glad that we talked it over. Are you still up for lunch?"

He sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you, Ahsoka. You don't know how much weight just lifted from my shoulders. I feel terrible about what I did. You're like my little sister. I'm glad we got it out of our system before we caused this to twist out of proportion. As for lunch, I have kind of lost my appetite. You go ahead and eat. I'll probably go back to our room..."

He looked at the floor. So he was trying to avoid me, regardless of what I'd said to him.

"Nope."

He looked back at me. "Nope?"

"You're going to stay in this room with me and eat lunch with me whether you want to or not."

"Um, Ahsoka, I... have reports to write out for the Council that I've delayed."

"Well, if you put them off this long, they can wait a little bit longer. Eat now or else," I threatened.

He laughed, "Or else what?"

"You don't want to know what the 'or else' is, Master. Trust me."

He would cave in. I could see it now...

"All right, Ahsoka. I'll join you..."

I smiled and grabbed his arm, pulling him into the line. "What are you going to eat, Master?"

"Well, thanks to Obi-Wan's girlfriend, we have some Mandalorian foods here. I'm probably going to go with the gihaal..."

I laughed, "Master Kenobi has a girlfriend?"

"No. I was just kidding. He's strict about the code. What are you going to eat?"

"I actually don't know. What's the gihaal taste like?"

"Fish."

"Oh, well, I don't exactly like fish..."

"You still have time to figure out what you'd like to eat, Ahsoka. There's no hurry."

"I guess I'll get the nommi."

He turned around so fast that I was confused by his action. "Since when do you eat Gungan food?"

"Since you made me spend a day with Senator Binks..."

He laughed, "Oh, I understand..."

He let me order my food first, so I just got a nommi. After the woman behind the counter passed it to me, I moved out of line and waited for my master.

I listened to what he was saying to the woman. "I'll have a gihaal and a bottle of Mandalorian wine."

"Yes, sir," she answered, turning around to get his order as quickly as she could. "Here ya go, General. Enjoy."

"Thank you," he smiled at her, paying the amount of credits for us both.

He walked up to me and I stared at him. "What?"

I put on my best pouting face. He always caved to that, too. "I want a drink..."

He laughed. "Ahsoka, I am not letting you drink any of this. It's really strong. Plus, you're underage."

"Oh, I may have to bring up that event in the gym..."

He glared. "Ahsoka..."

"Just one sip? Please?"

He walked over to a table where the clones had just cleared out and sat down. I sat next to him.

I watched him look around the room cautiously. "What are you doing, Master?"

"I swear, if you take more than a sip, I will never let you drink anything of mine ever again. Do you understand?"

"I understand."

He slyly passed me the bottle of wine. I took the cap off and took a sip. The taste was extremely bitter and strong as he had said before.

"All right, hand it back, please..."

"Ugh," I said in disgust. "That tasted terrible. How do you like that?"

He laughed and grabbed the bottle from my hand. "Oh, the joys of going on missions with Obi-Wan. I built up so many tolerances with him, to drinks, I mean."

"How old were you when you began drinking?"

His eyes met mine. "Sixteen, but I am not letting you have any more than a sip. The last thing I need is you getting tipsy or something, all right?"

"That's fine. If you order this everyday, I'll never drink again."

"Really? I'll keep that in mind..."

I smirked at him. He began to eat his food which reeked. "Is that your food that smells?"

He looked up from his food. "Uh, yeah. I guess it is. I apologize... another tolerance."

"Clearly," I mumbled.

I saw the corner of his mouth go up, forming a smile. He looked like he was enjoying that disgusting food.

I began to eat my own food in hopes of distracting my nose.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Wow, she is so... _beautiful._

I really need to stop thinking like this. How am I finding my fourteen year old padawan attractive when I'm a married man? I think I need some counseling...

I hadn't had the chance to speak with Yoda about my dream today, especially after the gym event. I was distracted. I had truly enjoyed kissing her...

I am such a freak. I'm twenty-five. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm about ten years older than her.

I ate my gihaal and watched her from the corner of my eye, while trying to pretend I was watching the clones. I really didn't care for the clones in this situation...

I was honestly falling for my padawan who seemed like my little sister.

"Master?"

I broke out of my thought process and looked at her. "Yep?"

"Are you all right? You seem distracted."

The images from my nightmare rushed right into the front of my mind in that instant. It felt like a sandstorm on Tatooine, which was really bad.

"Uh," I stuttered. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing," I said, not looking at her.

"You made me tell you what I was thinking earlier. Do I have to probe your mind and make you feel awkward to get you to talk to me?"

I laughed. "No. I just don't think you'll understand what I'm thinking right now."

"Does it have to do with earlier...?"

"No," I lied. I mean, it partially was, but my nightmare was first in line to torment me at the moment.

"Tell me, please?"

"It's just a nightmare I've had for a while."

"Can you tell me about it?"

"There's not really all that much to tell."

She sighed. "Tell me what you can, then."

"I hear screams and blaster shots all around me. I can see people running in fear, but they have no faces to define them. There's a blur where their face should be. Once, I slept long enough to get further into the dream. It scared me to think that maybe, just maybe, these people were running away from me. I stood at the center and no one came near me. The shots flew past me, never coming close to harming me."

"Do you think it's a vision or just a nightmare?"

"Well," I paused. "They certainly aren't like..."

"Like what?"

"Other premonitions I've had. This feels all too real, but I know it can't happen."

She looked confused. "Why couldn't it happen?"

"What reason would people have to fear me?"

"I don't know, Master. Maybe the answer will present itself in the future. Maybe it is your future."

I looked down at my hands. "I certainly hope not."

Ahsoka began tapping on the table, which didn't bother me at first. She kept it up and increased the beat and then it got on my nerves.

"Ahsoka, please, stop."

She smiled. "Does it bother you?"

"If I say yes, will you stop?"

"What's your answer?"

"Yes, it bothers me."

She laughed. "Okay. I won't tap anymore."

"Thank you." She smiled at me again.

Her smile and her laugh were beginning to consume me again. I felt like I did back in the gym. Of course, no one saw us in the gym, but here were about a hundred or so clones that would easily spot us.

I quickly finished my food, as did she. She waited patiently for me to finish my wine, which tasted pretty good today.

"Can I have another sip?" she asked.

"I thought you didn't like it?"

"I'm thirsty..."

"Do not get me caught. One sip," I said, passing her the bottle.

She took a gulp. "Ahsoka!" I whispered.

She let out a sigh. "It gets better the more I drink it."

"I said one sip. If you..."

"I feel fine. I can see and control myself."

"I'm ordering you a non-alcoholic drink next time we eat here, Snips."

"How about tomorrow?"

Was that such a good idea considering the way I am right now? I decided that it probably wasn't, but I couldn't admit to weakness around her. I was her master and teacher. I had to be the mature one.

"Sounds like a plan."

We stood from the table and threw our lunch out. "Actually, Master?"

I looked at her. "Yes?"

"Does dinner tonight sound okay?"

"Where do you plan on eating and who is going to pay?"

She'll probably pick an expensive restaurant and expect me to pay...

"Well, I heard you and Master Kenobi talk about Dex's Diner. Is it good there?"

"It's pretty good. I've only eaten there a few times with Obi-Wan. He loves the place..."

"Well, how does that sound for dinner then?"

I smiled at her. "Sounds fantastic. We leave in a few hours, then."

We both walked together back to our quarters. Once we got in, she laid on her bed and I on my own. Oddly enough, I wanted to be with her on her bed...

It took everything in my being to force myself _not _to go over to here and kiss her, showing her that I love her.

I do love her, but... she doesn't seem to return those feelings. I think I'm getting myself too deep into this little fantasy...

There is no way I can possibly... _can I?_


	4. Dinner at the Diner

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

It was almost time for my master and I to eat dinner at Dex's Diner. I was actually looking forward to it. We hardly ever did anything outside of training and fighting, so this would be nice. I'm just desperately hoping he won't try anything on me like he did in the gym...

I ran into the refresher and took a shower. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around myself afterward.

I walked out into the room and there was Master Skywalker, shirtless.

"Uh..." I said.

He turned around and his eyes widened. "Sorry," he said, turning back toward the wall facing away from me. He reached out to his dresser and opened it with the Force, grabbing a shirt while doing so.

I watched him clothe himself. It seemed to happen in slow motion, which was odd in itself.

"You all right?"

I blinked and looked away, trying to get his chest out of my mind. "Uh, yeah, Master, I'm fine. Almost ready?"

"I'm all set. Waiting on you."

I stood there in silence for a moment. He backed up. "Did you want me to leave?"

"Just for a minute. You can stand outside."

He nodded and walked out. I made sure he wouldn't come back in. I didn't think he would, but hey, you never know how reckless he can be...

I looked through my dresser and couldn't find a decent shirt to wear in the place of my tube top. I walked over to the door and opened it. "Master?"

"Yes?" He was across the hallway, looking at me.

"Do you... have an extra shirt that I can use? Maybe one that's too small for you?"

"Uh, sure." He walked past me and went to his dresser. He went through the shirt drawer – which was pretty neat and organized, if I may add – and found a smaller shirt. It looked pretty decent.

"Wow, I can't believe I still have this thing," he said, looking amazed. "I've had it since I was seventeen."

"Really? It's in wonderful condition for being so old."

"Hey, it was only eight years ago. Are you calling me old now?" He laughed.

"Yes, you are definitely old because you're twenty-five."

"What does that make Obi-Wan? He's seven years older than me."

I thought for a moment. "Really old?"

He burst into laughter. It was nice to see that.

"All right," he tossed the shirt at me. "Get dressed."

He walked out and I slipped his shirt on. It felt nice and roomy. He must have been a little muscular at my age... probably not as nice as it is now.

What?

Am I really going back to his chest? Ugh, come on. I know he's attractive and muscular, but the age difference is killing me. If he were a little closer to my age, or I to his, this might work. The fact that we're both Jedi doesn't help either. It complicates the matter because we aren't allowed to form attachments.

I pulled a pair of pants on. The shirt went well with them. I looked at myself in the mirror and actually felt good about the way I looked. I wouldn't attract anyone with this on. Plus, I guess my master would look like my partner in public. Well, in the public where we aren't known very well.

I grabbed my lightsaber and attached it to the belt that came with the pants, tucking it nicely under my shirt. I didn't see my master's lightsaber, so I guess he did the same. We had to be ready in case we were needed.

I walked out into the hallway. He was sitting to my left, head on his knees.

I knelt down beside him and touched his shoulder. His head flew up in alertness. "Oh, it's just you."

I smiled. "Are you sure you want to go out? You look worn out."

He shook his head. "We're going. I'm fine, trust me. I've been much worse than right now."

"Is the nightmare still troubling you?"

He sighed and nodded. I grabbed his arm lightly.

"It'll be all right, Master."

His eyebrow rose up briefly as he stood. "I hope you're right."

I looked up at him and smiled widely. He had to return the smile because he couldn't resist.

I grabbed his hand and dragged him with me to where his speeder was parked. "Hey, Snips, slow down!"

"I'm hungry!"

"Again? We only ate lunch a couple hours ago."

"You know how I am," I laughed.

"That's true..."

We reached his speeder and I immediately jumped over the side, landing in the passenger seat. He watched me and when I looked at him, he turned away quickly. Hmm. What was that?

He walked around to get into the driver's seat. Usually he would jump over the side to show off, like I had done, but he hadn't.

"Are you sure you're okay, Master?"

"Yes. Why?"

"You're acting a bit off."

His eyes closed a bit. "How so?"

"You're not as energetic today and you didn't even jump over the side of the speeder to try to impress me. That's why I jumped over my side today."

"I'm a little tired, Snips, but don't worry about it. I'll be back to normal by tomorrow morning."

I heard him mutter, "I hope."

He didn't sound like he'd be 'back to normal' by the next morning. I've never really seen him fall this far. I was actually beginning to worry about him. What if we were attacked? Would he be able to defend himself? I don't think I could protect us both without getting him killed. I couldn't live with myself if he was killed.

He drove to Dex's without another word. That was odd in itself. He'd usually have something to say...

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Why do I continue to put myself through all of this? I should just tell the Council how I'm feeling and let them decide on what they should do to me. Would I actually get expelled or would they take her away from me? If they took her away from me, I don't know what I'd do. I felt like I had to have her near me in order to live. Her presence near me was equivalent to my daily breathing. I _need _her.

"Master, watch out!"

I swerved to the right to avoid crashing into someone else's speeder. They yelled at me in a different language that I couldn't understand.

I felt Ahsoka's eyes on me. I knew that she was going to ask me if I was okay, yet again. I'd be lying if I said I was fine this time.

"Answer me honestly now," she commanded.

"All right. I'm not okay, but we're almost to Dex's."

"I'm going to fly us home after we eat if you live through that."

I frowned. "I'll live, Ahsoka."

I landed the speeder about a block away from the diner, my usual parking spot. I looked around, observing the pedestrians.

"Master?"

Ahsoka was already crossing the street. I ran over to her and she took my hand. Was she trying to get me to_ attack_ her? There's only so much I can really take before hitting the breaking point.

As we neared the diner, she released my hand from it's fiery sensation. I missed the warmth of her hand. It was another thing I needed as of right now.

We walked into the diner and Dex greeted me. I was always here with Obi-Wan because he always asked me to go with him.

"The usual?" he asked me.

I nodded. "And for the lady?"

I looked down at her. She whispered, "Can I get what you're getting?"

My eyes rolled yet again. "It's actually legal, so yes," I whispered to her. "Two of everything."

Dex went to work behind the counter and began to prepare our food.

Ahsoka picked our seat, one closer to a window. "Master?"

I was getting myself comfortable in the worn out seat. "Yep?"

"Tell me what's really bothering you. I know it's not the nightmare. You've had nightmares before that didn't bother you that much."

"It's nothing, Ahsoka." It hurt to say that. To me, love wasn't nothing. It meant the world to me. I assumed that it meant the world to Padme, too, and I was being unfaithful at this moment.

"I want you to tell me right now, Master."

"I'm just thinking about a lot of stuff that's going on right now. It's nothing you need to worry about."

"I worry anyway. You're my master and you can legally drive the speeder. If you aren't paying attention, like earlier, we may both get killed."

"I understand that and I apologize for not paying attention earlier. If you got hurt..." Best to stop there. Let her mind take that as she will.

"If I got hurt, what would you do?"

"Well," I paused momentarily. What can I say that wouldn't clue her into what I've been thinking all day? "First of all, I'd definitely take the blame for it. I'd feel terrible and wouldn't be able to live with myself. Finally, I'd have to train and get used to another padawan, so I'd probably kill myself. It was hard enough getting this far with you."

I laughed at the end so she wouldn't take that as a negative comment.

She joined in the laughter. "Well, don't get me killed and you won't have to kill yourself. You probably built up some tolerance to children by training me, didn't you?"

"Children? You aren't a child, Ahsoka, but I did build up tolerance to your recklessness. You're just like I was. I'm in Obi-Wan's position now. I get to see how he felt when I'd disobey him or charge into a fight because I was headstrong."

She half smiled. "Is it a bad thing that I'm like you were?"

"No, not at all. It's kind of like I'm looking at myself when I was younger."

Dex's WA-7 waitress, Flo, came with our order on a plate. I ordered some more alcohol for myself and Dex must have taken notice of Ahsoka's age because she had a different, non-alcoholic one.

"Here ya go, hon," Flo said.

I nodded in thanks as she put the plate on the table.

"What is this?"

I shrugged. "I don't know the actual name of it. It's a really tasty pastry. Try it."

I laughed at the look on her face. She was terrified to try it.

"Don't laugh!"

"Try it."

She slowly bit off a piece. She chewed it longer than she should have. She finally swallowed. I was mesmerized by the entire process.

I cleared my throat. "Well?"

She smiled. "It was pretty good."

"Good," I laughed.

We laughed for a couple minutes, then sat in a peaceful silence.

I was staring at Ahsoka and she at me.

"_Do you know how beautiful you are?" _ _I asked her._

"_How beautiful am I?" she teased._

"_You're as beautiful as all the stars in the sky." _

_She leaned across the table and kissed me. I kissed her for a few moments, beginning to bite her bottom lip. _

_I closed my eyes to make the kiss better for myself. _

_We both moved out of the booth and met in the aisle, locking mouths again. I began to stroke her lekku as her hands rushed through my hair. _

_She began to nibble on my lips, then bit hard on it, opening my mouth. _

"_Master?" she whispered. _

"Hey? Are you listening to me?"

I shook a little bit. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"I said that it's getting late. We should probably go back to the temple."

Had I really just fantasized about Ahsoka? That was uncalled for and inappropriate...

"Sounds good. I'll fly you back, but I need to go somewhere tonight."

She pouted. "You're leaving me alone in that dark room again?"

"Not intentionally. I lo-"

No way was I really going to say that I loved her.

She looked puzzled. "Never mind. Come on, let's go."

I cleaned up the dishes and put them, along with the bill, on the counter for Dex or one of his waitresses to take.

"What were you going to say earlier, Master?" she asked me as we were walking to my speeder.

"I... lost something earlier. I'm going to try to find it after I drop you off at the temple."

Yeah, I lost my mind. I need to find it...

We arrived at the speeder and she hopped over the side. I stopped where I was for a moment. Hmm, should I? _Of course._

I jumped into the air, putting the Force into it as I flipped, and landed beside her.

"Show off!"

I laughed. "Hey, you complained about how I hadn't done something earlier."

"You'd just jump over the side, not over me!"

"I'm improving myself, Snips. Learn from it," I smiled.

She laughed and smiled back at me. That was a good way to end my night with her. I have to go see Padme. I'll probably end up staying the night with her.

We got to the temple and she jumped out. "Good night, Master."

"Good night, Ahsoka. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning."

She smiled. "Thanks for dinner. I'll see you later."

I watched her run into the temple. I wanted to make sure she got in all right.

As soon as she disappeared from sight, I flew in the direction of the Senate building.


	5. A New Mission

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I parked my speeder on Padme's landing dock, which was really small, but small enough for this speeder.

I got out and was met by C-3PO. "Oh, Master Anakin! How good it is to see you again!"

"Good to see you, too, 3PO. Where's Padme?"

"Mistress Padme is in her bedroom."

"Thanks."

I walked past him and went into the room. She was lying down, reading her favorite romance book.

I jumped onto the bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her. "Hello, beautiful."

The words burned in my mouth. I shouldn't be saying them to Padme if I'm having feelings for and thoughts about Ahsoka.

She leaned toward me and kissed me. "Hello. How was your day?"

"Same as it always is. I trained Ahsoka, ate some lunch, and went to dinner. Pretty standard in my opinion. How was your day?"

"The same. I went to the Chancellor to plead for the new laws to be put into place soon, but he brushed me off. Senator Organa and I are pressing for these laws. We need them if we want to remain a democracy."

"Didn't he pass them already?"

"Yes."

"Why hasn't he enabled them yet?"

"They're limiting his power, so I'm assuming he doesn't want to lose any just yet."

I didn't like the way she was talking about the Chancellor, but it's frustrating to not get what you want when you want it. Trust me, I know...

"I could put in a word or two for you if you'd like."

She smiled. "Would you?"

"I'd do anything for you."

"That would be perfect, Anakin!" She bounced onto my lap and kissed me. "Thank you so much."

I laughed. "You're welcome."

The kiss I imagined while at the diner was lingering in my thoughts. I wanted to kiss her like that and I wanted her to kiss me that way.

Padme grabbed my real hand and intertwined our fingers. She leaned against my chest and I rested my head on top of hers.

"I wish we could stay like this," she whispered.

"As do I."

We sat like this for a few minutes until I began to tire. "Padme, I had a long day. I'm sorry."

She pulled back to look at me with a soft smile. "Don't you ever worry about that. If you're tired, I understand. You're human just like I am."

I pulled the covers back and climbed under, then I watched her do the same. She cuddled up against my chest.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

There was a flash as I was being taken into the land of dreams... or nightmares.

"_Anakin."_

_I looked around me and saw nothing but white. Who was calling my name?_

"_Anakin..."_

_The voice was drawing closer to me, but I couldn't guess who it was. The voice was almost robotic._

_I turned around and there was the source, staring at me with beautiful, glowing eyes._

"_Oh, Anakin... I love you."_

_I smiled. "I love you, too... Ahsoka."_

_She and I embraced each other and leaned in for a kiss. She took my bottom lip between her two sets of teeth and began to suck on it._

_Her tongue slipped past my defenses and she enjoyed herself, playing with my own._

_Her hands reached down to my belt and she ripped it off with such force that it actually snapped. Precious seconds were spent taking my tunic and vest off._

_Her lips never left mine, but her hands roamed across my chest._

_After a few minutes, she pulled back and took my hand, pulling me into the white nothingness._

_A bed appeared in the center as we were closing in on it._

_She turned to me and smiled seductively before she ran to the bed and jumped on top of it. She waved me over and I slowly made my way to her._

_When I reached the bed, I got on and slowly crawled toward her._

_She pulled me on top of her and I willingly allowed her to do so._

"_Love me," she whispered._

"_Always."_

_Here, we made love._

"Master Anakin! Oh, Master Anakin!"

C-3PO...

I'm going to disable that droid before I go to sleep next time. "What is it?"

I opened my eyes to see the daylight shining in. Padme was just waking up.

"Your padawan is contacting you on your comlink!"

I rubbed my eyes quickly and got off the bed, grabbing my glove. "Skywalker here."

"_Master, I'm sorry to disturb you. The Council requests __our presence immediately. I think we might be getting a mission..._"

"Lovely. Thanks, Snips. I'll be there soon."

I ended the transmission. "Must you leave so soon?"

I turned around and Padme was there. "The Council needs me. I'm sorry."

She hugged me and laid her head against my chest. "I want you to stay."

"Believe me, I want to stay, but I can't."

"I love you, Anakin. Come back to me in one piece."

It hurt to say it, but I had to keep the charade up. I didn't want Ahsoka in my thoughts anymore. I was married to Padme and I needed to be faithful to her. "I love you, too. I always come back that way."

She laughed and released me.

I watched her face sadden, but grabbed my tunic and robes. I put the tunic on in a second and slid the robe on.

"I'll be back."

"I'm going to miss you."

A single tear slid down her face. I walked toward her and wiped it away. "I'm going to miss you, too. I love you."

I ran to the speeder and flew to the temple.

I landed nearby and ran in.

Ahsoka met me outside of the chambers. "Good morning," she cheerfully said.

I smiled. "Good morning. You're in a good mood."

"I got a good amount of sleep after you left. Did you find what you lost?"

What? _Oh. _"That's good. No, I couldn't find it anywhere. Oh, well."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could have helped."

"It's fine, Snips. Shall we?" I asked, nodding toward the chamber door.

She laughed. "Let's get it over with."

We walked into the room and were met with all the eyes of the Jedi Masters.

"Skywalker, good to see you, it is."

I bowed. "Master."

Windu spoke up. "Skywalker, we have a mission for you and your padawan. You both must escort Senator Amidala to Christophsis. She has a meeting scheduled with Senator Rush Clovis."

Great, we get to see Clovis. Padme told me about the relationship they shared before she met me. I was a bit jealous, but Padme loves me, so I have nothing to worry about. What I wanted to know was why hadn't Padme brought this meeting up with me?

"Yes, Master. When do we leave?"

"You leave in a few hours. Go prepare yourselves."

Ahsoka and I both bowed at the same time and then left.

"Isn't Senator Clovis with the Separatists, Master?"

I frowned. "Yes. That's probably why we were assigned to protect her. The last time we met with him, she was poisoned."

"Oh, I heard about that."

I wasn't about to let that happen again, though, to either of them.

We walked into our quarters. She laid on her bed for a few minutes while I got my Naboo pilot clothes ready.

"Do you have anything to wear that isn't going to reveal you're a Jedi?"

She sat up. "I don't really have anything besides what I wore last night for dinner and my padawan outfits."

"Hmm… I could ask Senator Amidala if she would be willing to loan you some of her clothes."

"I could go buy my own, Master."

"With what?" I laughed. "You have no credits."

"Well…"

Again, I laughed. "You were hoping I'd offer you some help?"

"Kind of."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go buy you some clothes."

Her eyes lit up and a wide smile spread across her face. We raced to my speeder.

She won because I let up at the end. She was always disappointed when she lost, so I stopped rubbing it in her face.

"Why did I win today? You didn't even cheat?"

"I'm still tired. Plus, I need to stop using the Force for my own fun."

She stared at me, mouth ajar. My imagination began to take over again… until I stopped it.

"What?" I asked.

"You… aren't the same. You won't use the Force for fun anymore?"

"I do it too often. I was thinking about maybe taking a break here and there."

She continued to stare.

"Get in the speeder, Snips," I teased.

I climbed in after her and flew in the direction of the market place.

"Do you have any ideas for what you'd like to wear? Who knows how long this meeting will last…"

She thought for a moment. "Just something comfortable."

That was helpful…

We walked into a nearby clothes shop and peered in. Something caught Ahsoka's eye because she ran in after a few moments.

She ran all the way to the back and started rummaging through the racks. I watched in amazement. Anytime I had come with Padme to buy clothing, she took her time and found the best of the best. Ahsoka was the opposite. She found something that looked nice and began to quickly search the rest of the items.

She picked a long red dress with sparkling sequins across the hem. She found a partial mask that would cover her mouth that matched the dress. She turned to me with the expression of a child on its birthday.

"Can I get these?"

I wanted to mess with her. I crossed my arms and forced half of my mouth to frown slightly. I could see the smile shrinking and her eyes becoming sad.

"Yes, Snips," I laughed.

"You! Why would you play with me like that! You know I like this…"

"Yes," I laughed. "I know. I wanted to see what you would do if I appeared to disapprove your choice."

I looked at the price tags on the dress and mask. They both cost fifty credits altogether. I was about to turn them down, but she seemed so happy. I hated to see her unhappy, so I decided that it was all right just this once.

"All right, let's pay for them."

I took her outfit up to the man at the counter. He checked them out and said, "That will be fifty credits, Sir."

I took out my credits and put them on the counter. I glanced at Ahsoka from the corner of my eye and saw her orange-red skin pale a bit.

"There ya go. Have a nice day."

"You, too," I replied.

Ahsoka walked out of the shop before I did. I ran out after her once I grabbed the bag.

"Are you all right?"

I looked down at her and she looked like she might be sick. "Ahsoka, what's wrong?"

"I'm making you spend all your credits on me."

I shrugged and laughed. "Ahsoka, I don't go out and do much. I don't have anyone to spend my credits on. So why not spend them on you? You're my padawan and closest friend." And I love you…

Ugh. Why me?

She frowned. "You should go out and do more. Buy things for yourself, not others. I should get a job somewhere and earn some credits."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "Ahsoka Tano, look at me."

She did as she was told and turned to face me. "I want you to be happy and to feel special and loved, so I'm willing to buy you things and take you places. I don't want you to apologize for the way I choose to spend my credits. I care about you and I love you."

Her eyes widened and I just realized what I'd said. "You love me?"

Quick improvisation was required in this situation. "Like a little sister. I have no real siblings, just a step-brother."

"Oh, okay." She sounded a little disappointed. I couldn't think of a reason that she'd be that way unless she wanted me to love her.

Did she want me to love her much more than I would if she were my sister?


	6. Communicating

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"I want you to be happy and to feel special and loved, so I'm willing to buy you things and take you places. I don't want you to apologize for the way I choose to spend my credits. I care about you and I love you."

He was so sweet, caring, and kind. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that this man was single.

Wait. My eyes widened. He loves _me?_ "You love me?"

He didn't pause for a moment, quickly replying with, "Like a little sister. I have no real siblings, just a step-brother."

"Oh, okay," I said. I had this strange feeling that he was lying and another strange feeling that I was beginning to like him, like _like _him.

Was I supposed to feel this way for my master? I didn't even know if this was some attachment forming. I didn't want to form any attachments because it was against the Jedi code. I wasn't really looking forward to breaking it anytime soon.

He didn't speak as we walked to his speeder. He jumped in, as did I, and we flew back to the temple to prepare for our mission. We get to protect the Senator of Naboo.

He was going to dress up as a Naboo pilot while I was going to act as one of Padme's closer friends. Senator Clovis wouldn't know that we weren't who we said we were.

I looked to the left at my master who was frowning straight ahead. "Master, are you okay?"

"Never better. Why?"

"You don't look okay."

"I told you that I'm kind of tired. Other than that, I'm fine."

"Yeah, right," I mumbled.

He immediately pulled over, which shocked me. The speeder swerved right through traffic. "Master! What are you doing?" I yelled.

He didn't say anything. He kept flying the speeder down into a secluded area. I was afraid of what he was doing. Was he going to crash the speeder?

He landed on the ground and got out of the speeder. "Master?"

I watched his back as he walked away. "Go to the temple," he yelled back.

I was tempted to follow his orders, but then realized, maybe he didn't want me to leave. Maybe he wanted me to follow him. I was unsure of what to do, but he was getting further away from me, so I decided to run after him.

My steps were silent, but he should have been able to sense me coming up behind him.

I was just about to run up along side him as he turned around, so I ended up running right into his chest, knocking us both to the ground.

He looked more shocked than angry right now.

"Ahsoka, I thought I told you to go to the temple," he ordered, standing up.

"I think you did. Master, I'm worried about you." I stood up and inspected both of us for any sign of injury.

"Why?"

"You don't just pull over and leave like that when you're fine. Tell me what's going on. You're my master and my friend."

Yes, I pulled that card on him. He used it on me in the gym. "_I'm your master and friend._"

"You wouldn't understand what's wrong with me."

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Why don't you tell me and I'll decide whether or not I understand it."

He laughed darkly. "Just forget it."

He turned away from me and began walking again.

"No!" I yelled. I reached forward and grabbed his left hand – the flesh hand – and pulled him back.

I yanked him with an amazing amount of force that I was shocked.

He faced me and I stared at him, begging him with my eyes to release everything inside him. If anyone could crack him, I could do it.

I continued to hold his hand and he allowed me to. "Master, please."

He stared and smiled. I thought he was going to tell me. "No."

My hopes had just been tarnished. I wanted him to tell me what was going on, but he just couldn't see that.

"You are not the _Hero With No Fear _because you're the hero who fears for the lives of everyone you care for. You are not a selfish man because you can't let go of those closest to you. You are not a man who ignores the sadness inside of someone, you talk about their feelings to make them feel better. Now, why can't you allow me to talk to you about your feelings so you can feel better?"

I watched his eyes as everything sunk in. He took it all in and looked surprised.

I looked down, away from him, and let a single tear slip. I wanted him to talk to me because that would mean that our friendship was going one step further. "You are not the... _machine _that people depict you as. You have a heart and you have feeling."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I watched Ahsoka shed a tear. I had created it...

I watched it slide down her face, but before it rolled off of her face, I wiped it away. I caressed her face in my human hand. Everything she said was true.

"Ahsoka," I whispered. She looked up at me with tears on the verge of being released from their hidden pool.

I slowly leaned forward, watching her reaction. She showed no negative sign toward what I was about to do, so I did it. I closed my eyes and slowly, but passionately, kissed her. Unlike the kiss in the gym, this was real. I felt her lips moving in sync with mine. Her arms wrapped up around my neck, pulling me closer to her.

I felt happiness and relief rolling off of her. My own emotions were in turmoil. I pictured our first kiss this way in my dream once before. I was overjoyed to feel her kissing me, but I knew she wasn't like this. She was against breaking the Jedi code, same as Obi-Wan.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and slowly began to rub her back.

After a few moments, I slowly pulled away from her and stood to my full height, which was a bit taller than her. I opened my eyes to see her own locked with mine.

She reached forward and took my hand, intertwining our fingers. Her eyes had a light in them and her smiled held pure joy.

"This," I whispered. "Is what I've been troubled about."

"Why couldn't you tell me?"

I mentally kicked myself. Had she felt the same way about me all along? "I was... afraid."

She reached up to touch my cheek. "Why?"

"I thought that the incident in the gym had pushed us apart. I didn't want to lose you, Ahsoka." I went from closing myself from the inside out to pouring every thought to her.

"Master, no matter what happens between us, I can't let you go. We've been through so much together and still have more to go through."

I smiled. "I'm glad to know that you can't let me go. I... can't live without you."

She moved forward and hugged me tightly. "I _can't _and _won't _let you go, Master. To tell the truth," she paused. "I can't live without you either. It took every word you've said for me to fully realize that."

"I can't imagine a moment without you. I just..."

She looked up at me. "What?"

I laughed. "I just feel so attached to you, like I've felt this way from the beginning, but didn't know it."

"Let's keep it that way."

Her smile was warm and comforting. "I agree."

She took my hand in hers and walked me back to the speeder. I completely forgot about where I had been planning to run. I had just wanted to get out and scream, but now that I told her how I feel, I feel... relieved.

As we neared the speeder, she turned around and hugged me again. I hugged her and we separated, so I leaned down to kiss her.

I pulled back and smiled at her, she returned the smile. I watched her run and jump into the speeder, so I did the same, leaping over her again.

"Master!"

I laughed. "I was trying to _impress _you with my skills."

"I knew you could do that," she laughed. "You impress me with everything you can do, Master. There's no doubting that."

She leaned toward me and tugged on my tunic until I kissed her again. Her hand stroked my unruly hair. It was a nice feeling, completely different from Padme.

She pulled back slowly to look at me. I was on top of her and hadn't even realized it. She smiled and kissed me quickly.

She laughed. "Okay, Master –"

I kissed her to silence her. "Stop calling me that."

"Why? You are my master."

"It makes me feel as if you're my slave and I hate feeling that way. That title gives me some uncalled for thoughts, so save yourself and stop," I laughed.

I felt a wave of uncomfortableness roll off her. I pulled back without hesitation and looked away from her, turning the speeder on.

"What just happened?" she asked, confused.

"Nothing."

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

She punched my shoulder. "Why did you pull away like that?"

"Tell me when I make you uncomfortable, all right? I'm not trying to push you into anything. I'm not even trying to make you love me. If you don't want to, then I want you to tell me to stop and get on with life right now."

"I wasn't uncomfortable," she lied.

"Ahsoka, I felt it."

"It was just this once. I'm comfortable around you, it's just what you said about your thoughts that disturbed me."

"See? This is what I want to hear from you. You should be disturbed by that and by my actions. You do realize how much trouble I could get in for this?"

"Master... I do care about you more than I would for a friend. I'm not going to make you change your thought process because of how I feel. I want to be serious with you. I know that if the Council found out about this, we'd get expelled."

"The Council is the least of my problems. If we get expelled, at least I'll be able to see you. If anyone in the public finds out, I'm going to get arrested because of our ages."

She sighed. "I want to be with you."

"I do, too, but I don't want to hurt you or do something that will push you away from me."

I began to fly back to the temple, which left us a few minutes to converse here.

"You can't do anything that will hurt me or push me away. Like I said, I want to be with you. If I didn't, then I wouldn't put myself through whatever we're destined to face."

My right hand trailed off of the steering wheel and relaxed on the armrest between us. She grasped it and held it tightly.

"Ahsoka," I whispered.

"Yes?"

"You're amazing. I just want you to know that."

"So are you."

Not for this... I was going to end up getting us both in trouble. She'd be sent away from me and I'd be arrested...

I was willing to risk my life for her, but I didn't want her to suffer because of me.

I landed near the temple and we both got out. She ran over to me and hugged me.

I relaxed in her embrace, but I couldn't help feeling that something bad was going to come out of this. I was still married to Padme and if she found out that I was committing myself to Ahsoka, I'd be in for a load of trouble and drama.

"Let's go get ready. We still have a mission."

She nodded and we walked into the temple. "Race ya," she laughed.

I didn't feel like racing, but she did. I didn't answer her, but instead sprinted down the hallway.

"Hey! You cheated!"

I laughed as I ran and hoped she'd catch up to me.

After about a minute, I reached our quarters. I had gotten there first, so I ran inside and jumped onto my bed, lying there while waiting for her to burst in.

I counted down ten seconds and, right on queue, Ahsoka burst through the sliding door. "You cheated!"

"I know."

She laughed. I heard her movement coming near me quickly. I was surprised when she jumped into the air and landed right on top of me.

"You know what happens to cheaters?"

Her eyes looked so... seductive. "What?" I asked.

Her lips met mine with such force that my mouth might actually bruise. Her hands rested on my chest as she moved up for me to kiss her neck. I closed my eyes.

"Love me," she whispered.


	7. Arriving on Christophsis

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"_Love me_," she whispered.

I had heard that... _in my dream_. Her hands were moving to remove my belt.

I grabbed her hand. "Stop."

She looked hurt. "Why?"

"We aren't doing this right now."

"I want to!"

I got off of the bed and stood in the center of the room. "No, Ahsoka."

"Master!"

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that..."

"It would feel... weird to call you by your name."

I laughed. "Really?"

"Yes," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Say my name."

She thought for a moment and I could tell that this was going in the wrong direction. "Love me and I will."

"Not right now."

"Then I'm going to call you Master."

I sighed in defeat. "Fine, Snips!"

I saw her smile and her eyes light up. "You're caving in?"

"What? No. I meant that it's fine if you call me master."

Now it was her turn to sigh in defeat. She looked at me, begging me to do as she asked, but I couldn't and wouldn't cave in to this one. It was still way too early. As much as I don't want to, I have to refrain myself from anything until I figure out the situation with my wife...

"Ahsoka, I am not going to do this right now, so neither are you unless you're going to do it with someone else."

"We're in a relationship. Why would I cheat on you?"

I laughed darkly. "We are in the test phase. We aren't official yet, Ahsoka, so you can't really _cheat _on me. Just figure some things out and then we'll decide whether or not we can take the next step, all right?"

"So you're saying we aren't in a relationship just yet? I thought that when you admitted your feelings to me and I admitted mine to you that we were entering one."

"It was a release, Ahsoka. We told each other how we felt, now we're testing the relationship to see if we can make it."

I hated to do this, but I really didn't want to... _love_ Ahsoka in the way she hoped I would right now. She's too young and I'm too split. I need to decide whether or not I still want to be with Padme. I want to be with Ahsoka for sure, but nothing is wrong with my relationship with Padme.

"Come on, we have a mission to prepare for. No more talk of this for now, do you understand me?"

She looked at the floor. "Yes, Master."

I mentally kicked myself when I saw a tear fall from her face. I grabbed her hand and she looked up at me. "I don't want to hurt you, but neither of us are ready to take that big of a leap just yet. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes, Master."

"Are you all right?" I bent down to her level to inspect her, making sure she wouldn't cry again.

"Yes, Master."

I sighed and frowned. "Is that all you can say to me right now?"

She didn't answer, choosing to enter the refresher with her new outfit.

I had my outfit laid out on my bed and ready to put on, but Ahsoka chose to take her time in the refresher. Where was my helmet?

I looked under the bed, nothing. I looked in my dresser drawers, nothing. I even looked under Ahsoka's bed and there was still nothing.

"What are you searching for?"

I hit my head on the frame of Ahsoka's bed, since I was still under it.

I pulled out from underneath it and rubbed my head. "Do you know where my pilot helmet is?"

She giggled. "Did you hurt yourself?"

"You're avoiding the question."

"I hid it."

I rolled my eyes. Yes, Ahsoka is definitely still a child. "Where?"

"You will have to find it," she laughed.

I sighed and got up. I walked over to my bed and grabbed my _costume_. As I entered the refresher, I tripped. After I hit the floor, I looked down to see what I had tripped over. _My helmet. _Go figure.

"Ahsoka!" I shouted.

I heard her laughing in the other room. She was in for it once I got out there.

I got up and allowed the door to slide closed. I took my shirt, boots, and pants off, switching them for the Naboo pilot ones. The last thing I had to equip was the helmet. It could wait a few more moments.

I quietly slid the door open and walked lightly out into the room. Ahsoka was lying on her bed with her eyes closed.

I sprinted and jumped into the air.

"Mas – ugh!"

I landed on top of her, not injuring her though. "Thanks for tripping me."

She smiled up at me. "You're welcome. I'll see you next fall."

"No, I'll see you next fall." I rolled us off of the bed and we both fell to the floor.

She climbed on top of me and pressed her hands against my chest. I relaxed under her touch.

I reached up to stroke her face. "You're beautiful."

She released a loud laugh that startled me. "You went from being upset with me for tricking to you complimenting me. You're full of mood swings."

I sighed and smiled. "That's what love is, Snips. I go from one emotion to next because of you."

She looked me up and down. "I like this outfit on you, Master, but not as much as your Jedi garments."

"You don't look too bad yourself," I said, inspecting her in the same way she'd done to me.

She stood and helped me up. I went to get my helmet and equip it as she put her see through mask on.

"Can we still try this?" she whispered.

I wanted to, but I didn't think it was healthy for her. "We'll see how things turn out after the mission, all right?"

She frowned. "Fine."

I wanted to tell her about Padme. I wanted to tell her everything, but deep down, I knew how much pain that would cause her. I kept a major secret from her all this time.

"Come on, let's go. The Senator is waiting for us in her cruiser..."

We went toward the door and she took my hand. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I questioned her.

"For how I acted earlier. You were right. I'm not ready for that, but I am ready to be with you."

I kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, too, Ahsoka. I want you to be happy, but I'm not willing to let you lose everything right now because of me. Let's just get through this mission and see how we do."

She wouldn't release my hand, even after we exited our room. Slowly, we separated at the end of the hallway leading into the main Jedi population.

We got outside and Padme's cruiser was waiting like I had said. She walked out in her golden dress that I bought for her on her last birthday. I smiled when I saw it and she noticed.

"Master Skywalker," she smiled. "What a pleasure it is to see you again."

"Senator," I said, bowing.

Padme turned to Ahsoka. "Ahsoka, you look beautiful."

"Thank you, Senator Amidala."

Padme welcomed us aboard her ship. I left Ahsoka in the back with Padme, seating myself in the cockpit with Captain Typho.

"Nice to see you again, General," he greeted.

"Same to you, Captain."

I didn't know him too well, but we got along fairly. He was Padme's most trusted guard by far.

I began to pilot the ship, as I was assigned to. I kept imagining Ahsoka in my head. What if I hadn't said no earlier?

I launched us into hyperspeed as we left Coruscant's orbit.

All I had to do was pull us out of hyperspace and make sure we had no crash landings. Although, those landings are my specialty...

After an hour had passed, we neared Christophsis, so I pulled out of hyperspace. Right as I did, we had a clear view of the blue planet below us. I got clearance for landing by contacting Clovis through a channel he informed Padme to use.

I landed outside of the building that the meeting would take place in. I turned everything off and went into the back of the ship.

"We've landed," I announced.

Typho decided to stay with the ship, while I would personally see to it that no harm came to Padme or Ahsoka.

Padme rose from her seat and made a kissing motion with her lips as she passed me. I smiled and waited for Ahsoka to arrive beside me.

"Snips," I said.

"Master, I know what I am ordered to do. I'm to watch the Senator at all times."

I laughed. "That's not what I was going to say, but I'm glad you know what you're doing."

"What were you going to say?"

"Keep yourself out of trouble and don't speak to Clovis unless he speaks to you. The man is..."

"I get the feeling that you hate him."

I laughed, resting a hand on her shoulder. "I wouldn't say _hate_, but rather _strongly dislike_."

She smiled. "Master, where will you be?"

"Either here or in my own room. You and Pa – the Senator will be sharing a room." Hopefully nowhere near Clovis...

"Can I come see you during the night?"

"Not on a romantic cause, Ahsoka. We can't be caught, even if it's just a Senator."

"What if I need to talk to you?"

Half of my mouth smirked. "Then feel free to enter my domain."

"Are you going to pull one of those _who dares disturb my slumber _tricks on me again?"

"You know that was a joke, but no. I don't do that anymore, obviously. It was a once in a lifetime joke, but clearly you didn't like it."

"I thought it was funny. You were drunk weren't you?"

"No, I was overtired. I hadn't slept for three and a half days. You should try it sometime," I joked.

"I'd rather not. You looked like a zombie. I don't want to see you like that ever again because it was really scary. Plus, I need my beauty sleep."

"I'll remember that scary comment."

Ahsoka smiled at me, showing all of her perfect teeth.

"Coming?" Padme asked, interrupting our conversation.

"Uh, yes, Senator," Ahsoka stammered.

I laughed as Ahsoka ran off of the landing ramp. I followed them, just for security.

We walked into a grand room, credit of the banking clan I assumed. Clovis descended the stairway in slow motion which disturbed me. What was that for?

"Padme," he greeted.

"Rush, hello my friend."

As he reached the bottom of the stairway, he embraced Padme in a tight hug. I could see her return it exactly as he had delivered it. Had she grown closer to him since our last mission to spy on him?

"I see you've brought a friend. Who might you be?" he asked, turning toward Ahsoka.

"I'm Ahsoka. Nice to meet you," she reached her hand out to shake his. I felt my stomach lurch forward like I wanted to stop their handshake.

Finally, he turned to me. "Ah, the pilot..."

He remembered me. I nodded to him.

"Ladies, your room is just upstairs to the left. I will arrange for supper to be served soon."

Both women nodded and ascended the stairs. I watched them go.

As they disappeared from our view, Clovis neared me. "Don't think I forgot our last encounter, pilot."

"I was hoping you wouldn't."

"You took her away from me."

"You poisoned her."

"I love her."

"She's with the Republic and you're pledged to the Separatists. I don't foresee you two getting together anytime soon."

"Oh?"

I sighed and went upstairs.

"Until we meet again, pilot," he laughed.

It took all my strength and Ahsoka's smile to force me up the stairs without turning around and running him through with my lightsaber that was hidden in a compartment I had added to my belt.

I went into another room close to where Ahsoka and Padme would be staying. We had just arrived and I had a bad feeling about this mission already...


	8. Tension

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"Senator –"

"Please," she insisted for the hundredth time. "Call me Padme. You won't walk around calling me a senator while we're here. You're my friend."

I smiled at her. "Padme, what are you and Senator Clovis meeting to talk about? My master is upset and I don't know why."

"We're catching up on the Senatorial business. Your master didn't have such a welcoming trip last time we met with Rush. I'll talk to him later."

We lounged around the room for a few minutes until there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Padme called out.

"It's me," my master's voice whispered.

Padme opened the door and waved him in. "How are you master Jedi?"

He frowned at her. "I need to talk to you."

Padme looked like she might be sick after he said that. My master turned toward me and asked me, "Ahsoka, can you step out for a minute? We won't be long, I promise."

There was something about the way his eyes looked...

I didn't have a chance to figure out what I'd just seen. He turned away from me to face Padme. I walked out of the room and stood in the center of the hallway.

What was going on in there? I wanted to know what he was saying to her...

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Were you ever going to tell me that you were going to see Clovis again, Padme?"

"Yes, Ani, of course. I meant to tell you before you left, but it seemed important and I let you go. What are you thinking?"

I could sense that something else was going on, but I didn't know what. "The Council told me, which infuriated me. I'd rather hear something like this from you. I wish you would have told me."

"I'm sorry, Ani. I promise that I'll tell you everything from now on." She walked closer to me and leaned her head against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders. What was I going to do?

I need to figure out what's really going on here. Was Clovis up to something?

"All right," I sighed. "I need to let my padawan back in before she gets curious."

We separated from each other and she smiled up at me.

I walked out of the room and looked to my right to find my padawan on the floor. "Ahsoka?"

Nothing.

I closed the distance between us and knelt beside her. "Ahsoka, are you okay?"

I touched her lekku and her head snapped up. "It's just me!" I whispered, putting my hands in the air.

"Oh, Master," she sighed. "I'm sorry. Is everything all right with you and Padme?"

"Yes everything is –" Had she just said _Padme_? "Ahsoka, did you call the Senator by her first name?"

She looked horrified. "I didn't mean to."

"That's not a problem with me. Why can you say her name but not mine?"

"Padme is... less awkward to say. I've known you longer than I've known her and I've kept the formalities with you for this long."

"I think it's time for the _formalities _to end. I call you Ahsoka, so you should call me Anakin."

She looked unsure. I took a hold of her hand to reassure her that it was fine. "You can say my name."

"_Anakin_..."

I laughed at the awkward face she was giving me. "Was it really that bad?"

"It's weird."

I rolled my eyes and she smirked. "All right, you go in now. I'm going to go contact the temple in my room."

"Can I come with you?"

I thought for a moment. "As long as you... behave."

She took my hand and walked me to my room. "I promise."

As we entered my room, she kissed me. I kissed her and pulled back. "Behave now, all right?"

She nodded and sat on my bed as I attempted to connect with the temple via my holoprojector.

The connection went through and the holograms of Masters Yoda and Windu appeared. "_Progress, you have?_"

"None yet. We've landed on Christophsis and met with Senator Clovis."

Windu crossed his arms and didn't look pleased. "_Contact us when you or Senator Amidala receive information of importance._"

Yoda looked up at him. If Windu and I were in the same room, I'd probably kill him. He has something against me and I'm tired of it. Ever since I came to the temple when I was nine, he's had a problem with me.

"Yes, Master," I replied with a level head. I disabled the connection and sighed in frustration, seating myself on the edge of the bed. Ahsoka chose to leap onto my lap and wrap her arms around my waist in a comforting manner. I leaned into her and wrapped my own around her tiny waist.

"What's wrong, Anakin?" I felt chills run up my spine when she said my name. I loved to hear it coming from her lips.

"Windu frustrates me. He doesn't trust me and he's holding some grudge against me. As far as I know, I've never done anything wrong to him, so I don't understand why he thinks so lowly of me."

She stroked my cheek. "He's probably a little jealous of you."

I pulled back and stared at her, incredulously. "Jealous? Of me? Why would he be?"

"You are the Chosen One. Your powers are stronger than his. Maybe he likes power. Plus, you have hair... and a beautiful body."

I understood the first few things and then she just got silly. I laughed and hugged her tightly for a moment. "Your humor is what makes my day, Snips. I can sort of understand the hair thing, but not the body."

"Have you seen yourself?"

"Of course. It's me."

She laughed and ran her hands across my chest and down my stomach. "This is all wonderful and built. Maybe he's jealous that you're built better than he is."

I smirked and kissed her. "I don't think he's jealous of my looks, Ahsoka. It probably is the power," I sighed.

"It's definitely your looks," she said, pushing me onto my back. For some reason, I let her get on top of me and I allowed her to kiss me viciously. For all I know, someone could have walked in and seen us.

She bit down on my bottom lip harshly, causing me to cry out a little. She pulled back and looked terrified. "I'm so sorry!"

A little bit of blood drew and it hurt, but I was fine. "It's okay. Just... try not to bite so hard if that's what you're going to do."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't worry about it."

She laid down on my chest and relaxed. After a few moments, her head tilted up to stare at me. I smiled at her and she smiled back.

She moved beside me and curled up against my side. I turned to my left and draped my arm over her. I watched as her eyes closed.

We stayed this way, enjoying each other's silent company, until I heard footsteps coming toward the door.

I sat up slowly, trying not to disappoint her. She opened her eyes and sat next to me.

"Pilot, your dinner is downstairs," Clovis' harsh voice said.

"I bet you're hungry," I whispered to Ahsoka, kissing her forehead.

"You'd win that bet." She laughed and got off of the bed. I did the same and stood beside her. She turned to me and hugged me.

We had another moment, holding onto each other.

It was as if neither of us really wanted to let go of the other. I was too in love to want to let go, but I wasn't sure where she stood on the love thing right now. I hoped that maybe she loved me just as much as I loved her.

She giggled suddenly.

I smiled and whispered, "What?"

"I love this. I love being so close to you."

I couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness roll over us both. "I love this, too. I don't want to let go, but they're going to wonder where we are."

Slowly, we separated bodies. She took my hand and intertwined our fingers. "You're amazing, Anakin."

"I try, but you're what makes me amazing. So to tell the truth, you're much more amazing than I am."

She laughed. "I guess I am."

She pulled one of those moves where she tried to act humble. I rolled my eyes and she caught it.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, Anakin Skywalker."

"Oh, so we're on a full name basis then?"

"Yes."

"I apologize for being unprepared for this, Ahsoka Tano," I laughed.

She smiled and dragged me out of the room, leading me to the stairway. Her eagerness was getting the best of her in this moment. She looked like a little child.

Once we neared the dining hall, she released my hand.

We walked in to see Padme and Clovis talking and laughing like they were best friends. I admit, I was a little upset at how well she was getting along with him after what happened last time.

I sat across from Clovis and Ahsoka sat beside me. Padme was beside Clovis and she didn't seem to mind that fact. I did, though.

I stared in Padme's direction, hoping that maybe she'd catch me. She and I needed to have a major discussion about this. I wanted to know what was going on between the two of them.

I looked down at my bowl of food. It was some bubbly soup substance. It didn't look all that appetizing, but I was slightly hungry. I don't think I could go very long without eating.

I looked at Ahsoka who was enjoying her meal. She, literally, was drinking it up. I sighed and put my head in my palm. Had I taught her nothing about table manners?

Padme and Clovis stared at her in disbelief. Someone looking this dressy had to know better than that. I could just imagine the thoughts racing through Clovis' mind in that moment.

I kicked Ahsoka's foot underneath the table. "Ow!" she whispered, glaring at me.

"Mistress," I said, looking at the bowl and looking toward the other two who were seated across from us. "Manners..."

She looked puzzled. She either didn't think I was calling her by that title or she believed she hadn't done anything wrong by eating her food in that way.

I picked up the silverware located beside the bowl and demonstrated for her without making it too obvious. I heard Padme sigh and wanted to kick her, too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ahsoka's face dawn in realization. She mimicked my actions and began to eat properly. I smirked at her.

"So, pilot, are you enjoying your stay?" Clovis asked.

"Possibly."

Padme sent a glare in my direction, which didn't go unnoticed by Ahsoka.

"Is something the matter?"

"Don't speak so highly, Senator. I don't think my incompetent mind can comprehend what you're saying," I muttered.

This time, Padme gasped and Ahsoka's mouth hung open as she stared at me. Clovis smiled deviously, making me want to injure him. I've been contemplating a lot of violence lately...

"Pilot, may I speak with you alone?" Padme announced, sounding quite upset. I was never going to hear the end of this one...

"Yes, Milady." We both stood and walked out of the room. She continued down the hallway and I continued to trail behind her until she abruptly halted.

"What are you doing, Anakin?"

"Speaking my mind. Is there something wrong with that or am I supposed to be a mindless droid?"

"You're risking the mission. I'm supposed to be getting information out of him and with you acting this way, I may not get what I need. You had better grow up, Ani, and make it soon."

I laughed. "You want me to grow up? I thought I was grown up. I'm actually in the action in this war, Padme. You're sitting in Coruscant all the time, discussing pointless politics."

"Your act needs to be improved."

"So does yours. I can tell that there's something going on between you and Clovis. What is it?"

She looked away from me for a brief second and hesitated. "Nothing is going on with Rush and me. Do you think I'm..." she paused to look around. "Cheating on you?"

"I think it's possible. I mean, you're acting all buddy-buddy with him. Don't you realize how close you two look to me?"

She didn't speak, so I did again. "You and he look like us. You look just as close to him as you are, or were, to me."

"If that's what you think, then maybe this isn't going to work out between us, Anakin. I married you for a reason, but obviously that reason is long gone. You had better work on your manners instead of improving your padawan's. Don't come back into the room until you're cooled off."

I watched her retreat back into the dining hall. As soon as she was out of sight, I sighed loudly in frustration and slid down the wall, eventually hitting the floor.


	9. Hurt

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Padme entered the room in a delightful mood. I thought she was scolding Anakin for acting the way he did. What had she said to him since he wasn't back yet? If she hurt him in anyway...

"Ahsoka," Rush began. "Are _you _enjoying your stay here?"

I didn't want Padme to say anything to me, so I lied. "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking me."

He smiled. It was a slightly disturbing smile, but I placed Anakin's image in front of him. I couldn't see Rush anymore, all I saw was the Jedi Knight that I'm falling in love with.

After a few more minutes, Anakin still hadn't returned. I was beginning to worry about him. I couldn't even sense his emotions in the Force.

"Excuse me," I said, pushing my chair back. Both nodded and I escaped from the room. I wandered into the hallway, searching for my master.

I was passing another dark hall when I heard a deep, frustrated sigh. I looked in the direction it came from to see none other than the shadow of Anakin. His head was on his knees and his arms wrapped around them. In that moment, I felt my heart split. I had seen him like this outside of our quarters, but that was because he was tired. This wasn't his tired position.

"Master?"

"I'm fine," he replied without skipping a beat.

I slowly walked toward him, kneeling beside him once I had closed the distance. "What did she say to you?"

"It's not important, trust me."

I moved into a sitting position and leaned against him. My eyes never left his form.

His head raised up and he turned to look at me. "Ahsoka, you're beautiful."

I giggled. "How can you tell in this light?"

"I can see better than you."

"Master, I'm sorry for whatever she said to you. I don't want to see you hurt."

He slowly stood from the floor and, once reaching his full height, reached out his hand for me. I took it and his strong fingers clasped it tightly as he helped me to my feet.

"I'm fine, Ahsoka. I don't care about what she said."

I didn't believe that and I think he sensed it. "Ahsoka, please. Trust me, I'm fine."

I shrugged. "If you say so. I don't believe it though."

I heard a light laugh escape his lips. He leaned down and kissed me romantically. I didn't want this to end, so I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me.

His lips parted slightly and I took advantage of that, beginning to nibble on his bottom lip. I didn't want to hurt him like I had earlier when I did the same. I learned to lighten the bite and not to sink my teeth into him like a leech.

I tasted his warm breath as he breathed out. My tongue lurched forward and met with his briefly. He pulled back in shock.

His lip began to bleed yet again. "Ow..."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

He reached out to caress my cheek. "You're fine. I'm the idiot who pulled away too quickly. I overreacted to that, but it's all right."

I noticed a little bit of blood dripping down his mouth. He wasn't wiping it away just yet, so I took advantage of it. I leaned forward and licked his lip, moving toward the end of the blood trail.

I watched his eyes widen and then return back to normal once I'd finished. I pulled back and took his hand in mine.

He sighed and smiled at me.

I walked him back to the dining room, but realized that I needed to use the refresher...

"I'll be right back," I whispered, kissing him.

He smiled and I ran up the stairs.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was about to round the corner when I heard Padme's voice.

"I haven't told anyone, Rush, not even Anakin."

"I thought you wanted to tell him. I thought you'd be reasonable about this. Why should it be kept a secret?"

"I love him still, but I'm not willing to let him go just yet. I could use him for this later. No one will know that it was you and not him."

He sighed. "I don't want this to be a secret forever, Padme. I want the galaxy to hear about it. It's special."

Now my suspicions had been confirmed. Padme and Clovis were definitely up to something. I stuck around a little while longer.

Ahsoka was descending the stairs and I motioned for her to be as quiet as she could. She looked at me with a confused expression, but listened anyway.

"The Chancellor won't put our laws into effect. I was hoping that you could take care of that for me, Rush."

"Oh, of course, my dear. Anything for you."

I reached for my lightsaber, but Ahsoka grabbed my hand. "Don't," she whispered.

I moved my hand from the containment of my saber. I held onto her hand and looked into her eyes.

"You should join us, make things easier for all of us. Viceroy Gunray would be happy to have you on our side."

"I won't join for that reason. He and his accomplices have tried to kill me many times. I'm not going to show them trust and friendship because they don't deserve it."

"Do you trust me?"

She paused. "Yes."

"More than Anakin?"

"Yes."

My heart broke. Was she really doing this to me? I felt tears brimming in my eyes and I tried my best to keep them dammed up inside.

"Anakin?" Ahsoka whispered.

I looked at her without saying a word. "Are you okay?"

I shrugged. I couldn't answer negative or positive because I was in the middle. I didn't know what I was feeling right now aside from confusion, anger, hate, and jealousy.

"Please," she begged. "Stop feeling this way. Those are the feelings of the dark side. All of them are!"

I closed my eyes and tried to control myself, which wasn't going very well. I felt confused about Padme's love for me. I was angry at Padme for lying to me about her connection with Clovis. I hate Clovis for stealing my wife, and the jealousy goes along with that.

Ahsoka's hand touched my cheek and my eyes opened. "Relax, please."

She looked so sad. I wanted to see her smile, so I pushed all of those dreadful feelings out as best as I could. I smiled at her and she returned it. "Thank you."

She leaned forward and kissed me for a moment. "Let's go in."

I sighed. "I need you to make a scene so they know we're coming. That way they won't know we overheard their conversation."

We got up and silently walked a little bit down the hall. I turned to her and nodded. I would get a good laugh out of this for sure...

"Ugh, pilots!" she yelled, throwing her hands into the air.

I had to force myself not to burst into laughter in that moment. "Is there a problem with my job, Mistress?"

"Of course. You think that just because you can fly something well that you're the best life form around, right?

"I don't fly _well_," I smirked and she returned it. "I fly with expertise."

She made some sound of disgust and walked down the hall. I followed her like I was supposed to. "_Expertise_. Hmm, do you know what that actually means?"

"Of course I do."

"What does that mean then?" she yelled.

Her face was so funny when she tried to look angry. "_Skill_. That's something that you don't have when it comes to flying."

Padme and Clovis came out into the hallway with us. "What is going on?"

"I apologize, Senator. The pilot is being unruly again. Let us all finish dinner, then he can rest in the ship or his room."

Ahsoka was actually pretty good at acting like a revered friend of a Senator. Clovis glared at me and moved to stand in front of Ahsoka.

"What is it with you and fighting poor, defenseless women?"

That sentence alone changed Ahsoka's whole expression. She hated being compared to someone with weakness.

"I'm not fighting them. If I were to fight them, you would be able to tell."

"Padme," he said, turning toward her. "Would you be against my decision to lock him up for a while? There are cells in this building that will hold him."

My eyes flew from Clovis to Padme. Her eyes locked with mine. All I saw from her was emptiness.

"No."

Clovis ordered his guards to come into the room and take me to the holding cells. I cooperated with the guards so as not to give away my identity. All I had to do was get to where I was going to be locked up, pull out my saber, and threaten the life of Clovis.

"Come on, move," one guard commanded harshly. He grasped my arm tightly, placing a bond on my wrists, and dragged me away and down two dark staircases.

I sensed something coming up behind the guards, but I couldn't turn around.

Before I knew it, the guards had been run through with a green lightsaber. I turned around and Ahsoka cut the bond in half.

"My hero," I whispered, smiling.

"You would be the man to have a female hero. Come on, let's get you to the ship." She took my mechanical hand and lead me up the staircases.

She stood in front of me, scoping out the room ahead of us for guards, Padme, or Clovis. I was extremely upset with Padme for allowing Clovis to lock me up.

We escaped the building and ran onto the ship. "Stop!" Typho shouted.

I put my hands up. "It's just me, Captain. Sorry for startling you."

His gun was pointed directly at my chest. After realizing that nothing bad was going to happen, he lowered it. "My apologies, General."

"Don't worry about it."

Typho went to the back to rest. I couldn't blame him. I knew how boring it was to do absolutely nothing. I lead Ahsoka into the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat. She climbed onto my lap and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"I can't believe she did that to you. Aren't you two close friends?"

I sighed. "Yeah, we're close."

Eventually, Ahsoka went back inside to pack her things and inform Padme of our departure. We were leaving now because Typho ordered it.

Once Ahsoka came back, I left. I was going to talk to Padme before we left. We were clearly having a marriage problem.

I walked back into the building. I ran up the stairs to Padme's room and she wasn't there. I went to the dining hall, not there either. I continued to look from room to room until I neared a court. I was about to walk passed it until I heard voices.

"Rush..." Padme sighed.

I was standing in the doorway, looking at my wife sharing an intimate hug with Clovis.

**POV: Padme Amidala**

I was glad that I had chosen to meet up with Rush again. We connected in a way that Anakin and I hadn't.

He had just complimented me for looking beautiful, so I thanked him with a hug. I was showing him how much I loved him. I have been hiding things from Anakin for a while, but soon enough, I was going to have to tell him everything.

The fountain beside us made the moment even more perfect.

I pulled back to stare at Rush. I saw Anakin in the background, but pretended that I hadn't seen him.

"Oh, Padme..." Rush sighed.

I shushed him and leaned forward at the same pace he leaned toward me. We both met for a passionate kiss. It continued for almost a minute.

Once we separated, I looked at Anakin and frowned. I wanted him to know that he wasn't good enough for me. I saw the pain on his face and felt the glare aimed at me. I watched as he turned away in frustration. His steps were silent. There was no way Rush would have known he was here. I think I'm ready to send Anakin away. I won't need him for a few more months...

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I blindly ran away from that court. I couldn't stand the moment replaying in my head over and over. It seemed to replay in slow-motion. It hurt so much because I had been cheated on. She knew I was standing there and made it a point to show me what's been going on.

I ran to the ship. I momentarily saw Captain Typho sitting outside of the ship, but it hadn't really mattered in that moment.

I ran up the ramp, smacking right into Ahsoka. "Master?"

I couldn't look at her. The pain I felt right now was so massive. I felt like the world was coming down around me. Yes, I had admitted my love for Ahsoka, but I hadn't made anything official like Padme had. I know what I've been doing is wrong, but she had probably planned this out.

She pulled me close to her. "Anakin, what's wrong? I... I can feel the... pain and hurt that you're feeling right now."

"Don't worry about it," I said a little too harshly.

Padme walked in behind us and smiled at me. "Ready for takeoff, Anakin."

I looked at her and felt like slaughtering her right in that moment. "Master!"

Both Padme's and my attention snapped to Ahsoka. Padme didn't understand what Ahsoka's outburst had been about, but Ahsoka knew all too well that my feelings were effecting the way my thought process was working. She could feel everything I felt because I let it all rush out into the open.

"I'm sorry, Ahsoka," I whispered, leaving them to prepare the ship.

I felt Typho come into the ship, but he didn't come into the cockpit like he usually would.

After a few moments of breathing in and out, Ahsoka took the place of Typho, sitting to my right. She continued to stare and hoped that I would talk to her about what was bothering me so much during the flight.

It was going to be difficult explaining that my wife cheated on me.


	10. Only You

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin continued to fly the ship back to Coruscant. He wouldn't speak to me, he wouldn't even look at me. It made me sad to think that something this bad was going on in his life. I wanted to help him, but he was shutting me out.

I plummeted into a bit of a depression. How was I supposed to help him?

I looked out the side window to see the swirl of space zooming passed us as we flew in hyperspace.

"Ahsoka, what's wrong?" he asked, turning to face me with a worried expression.

"Why don't you tell me what's wrong with you?"

I felt his anger flare up and he turned away from me. I think I stated my thoughts a little too harshly. I sighed and whispered, "Anakin, I care about you. Don't you understand? I want to help you get through whatever struggle you're facing."

He sighed and leaned forward. "It's nothing important."

"If it bothers you this much, then it is. Now, I want you to tell me."

"Can I tell you when we get back to our quarters? I'd rather not crash the ship with you and Typho on it."

"Would you crash it if it were just you and Padme?"

"At this moment, probably."

I gave him a funny look, but remained silent. He turned his head and reflected my look. "What?"

"Why would you crash if it were the two of you?"

"When we get to our quarters, Ahsoka. Be patient."

I rolled my eyes. Master Kenobi always said that to him, so now it's rubbing off on him. I was kind of looking forward to being alone with him. I wanted to know what he's been thinking about and I just want to spend some time with him.

"Pulling out of hyperspace now," he announced.

He pulled a lever and all the swirls vanished. We were outside of Coruscant's orbit. He flew the ship into the orbit and began the landing procedure on the landing strip below.

We left the cockpit together to head into the back. "We've landed."

Padme and Captain Typho stood from their seats. Padme exited first because Captain Typho is a gentleman.

That left Anakin and I alone above the ramp's exit. His ocean eyes met mine and he smiled weakly at me. "All right, race you to our room."

I smirked. "You're on!"

We both took off running. He cheated yet again because he's a sore loser when he really tries and I win.

I reached the door and it slid open. I didn't see Anakin anywhere in sight, so I yelled. "I win!"

"What took you so long, Snips?" he laughed from the refresher.

My smile of victory turned into a defeated frown. He walked out and laughed. "Oh, I'll let you win next time."

He reached out for me and pulled me into a tight hug. He kissed my cheek and then my neck. I smiled at the thought of being intimate with him eventually.

"You're beautiful, Ahsoka..."

He continued to kiss my neck. I was enjoying it until I realized he was stalling. "Anakin Skywalker!"

He pulled back in surprise. "What?"

"You are _stalling_!"

He laughed. "No, I'm..."

He saw the look on my face. I knew he was lying, so he laughed nervously. "Okay, yes, I was stalling..."

"Why?"

"I don't want to talk about sad things. I want to be happy with you..."

"I'll be happy when you tell me what was wrong. So come on, Anakin."

He sighed and backed away from me, seeking the comfort of his bed. He put his head in his hands with his elbows resting on the tops of his knees.

I stood in the center of the room, waiting patiently for him to pour his heart out to me. I'd wait as long as it took, just as long as he tells me the truth.

Minutes passed and soon turned into hours. Eventually, I sat beside him on his bed. He sat in the same position for an hour and a half. I wanted to know what was going on inside his mind. No words have been spoken since he sat down.

I broke the silence and whispered, "Anakin, please..."

He shook his head and sighed. "I can't do this, Ahsoka."

"Yes, you can. You know I won't judge you for your problems."

He laughed darkly. It was beginning to scare me each and every time he did that. "You will for this one."

"Not if you tell me the truth. You know I'm willing to hear you out. I'll listen to you until the end because I care."

He looked up finally, his eyes full of tears and his cheeks stained from previous ones that already dried. I draped my arm over his shoulder and leaned against him. His face twisted to look at me with a weak smile.

"Ahsoka, what I'm going to tell you is only going to hurt you. I'm warning you now."

I rolled my eyes. "How is it going to hurt me?"

"I'm... married."

I picked up my head and stared at him in disbelief, and then I stood from the bed to get a full look at him.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I kept my eyes locked with Ahsoka's, watching for a reaction. She looked shocked, hurt, and upset. Tears began to form in her eyes and I looked away. I couldn't soothe her because it wasn't going to help either of us. I knew that this would happen if I told her. I wish that she would have dropped the subject a while ago.

She turned away from me and held her face in her palms. I heard her quiet cries. There was nothing I could do to make any of this any better. I looked up at her back and watched as she crawled into a corner in the room. She pulled her knees to her chest and stared at me, tears falling freely from her beautiful eyes.

I couldn't look away. This was how I would torture myself for the rest of my life. The look on her face would haunt me until the day I died. It would haunt my dreams.

An hour or two passed and we still hadn't spoken. I keep wishing that I would open my dry mouth to say something to her, but nothing important would form inside of my head. I was a blank holonet. All the information disappeared into the nothingness of space.

"Who... who are you... married to?" she stuttered from the crying.

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Senator Amidala."

She let out a little gasp that caused my heart to slow. I felt like I was going to die from all the sadness rolling off of her. I couldn't help but think that I had ruined any chance of showing Ahsoka I loved her. She will forever hate me and I don't blame her. If I were in her position, I would hate myself.

"Ana...Anakin..." she sniffled. "I... I love... I love... you."

My attention went from the floor directly to her face. She loves me? "You... love me?"

She nodded slowly. How could she love me after what I'd just told her? I deceived her into falling for me while I was married. I was married and didn't tell her. I kept a secret from my padawan. She shouldn't love the master who is a liar and deceiver.

She stood from the floor and walked over to me. I sat up a little bit, waiting for her to do what she wanted to me.

Instead of hurting me like I had expected, she crawled onto my lap and cuddled into my chest, placing her ear close to my heart. "I love you."

I was still amazed at how forgiving she was. "Ahsoka," I whispered. "I love you, too."

I began to stroke her lekku with one of my hands, cradling her close to me with the other. "How can you love me after what I've done?"

She buried her face into my chest and I could hear her sobbing. I rubbed circles on her arm, hoping to soothe her.

She wasn't going to talk to me right now, so I chose to speak instead. "I lied to you. I deceived you. I made you fall in love with me because I'm selfish. I fell in love with you and I wanted you. There was nothing said about my commitment to Padme and I wish that I would have spoken to you about this before, but I felt that that would make things worse. This is worse than what I had imagined. Holding this in made things far worse than they should have been..."

"Things are going to get better," she whispered. "I don't want to lose you. The only thing I want you to do is make a choice between us. Do you love her or do you love me? Don't tell me. I just want you to tell one of us that you don't love us."

I would ultimately choose Ahsoka. She was sweet and caring. Padme was a cheater and liar. Maybe they were both better off without me. All I do is cause problem after problem.

"I was stupid to think that I could love you both equally at the same time. I'm going to fix this, Ahsoka. I'm going to make things better, I promise."

I held her until I felt her sleeping beneath me. I stood up and carried her to her bed, bridal style. I covered her up and lightly kissed her forehead. I backed away from her to watch her for a moment. She looked peaceful asleep.

"I love you, Ahsoka."

I walked silently out of the room and ran to my speeder. I jumped over Ahsoka's seat, using the force, and landing in my own. I immediately revved the engine and directed myself toward the Senate building.

I landed and ran to Padme's room. Once I arrived, I began to bang on the door. She locks it at night, so I knew she wouldn't hear it unless I made some noise.

"Who's there?" she asked with sleep deep in her voice.

"It's me," I announced, rushed.

The door flew open and Padme pulled me inside. "Oh, Ani, it's so good to see you. I have to tell you something."

"I have something to tell you, also."

"Ani..." she trailed off. "Something wonderful has happened."

I looked at her face, confused. Wonderful?

"I'm pregnant."

There was no way... "It's not mine!"

She opened her mouth to yell, but silenced the scream that was going to come. Instead, she whispered, "Yes, it is. Who else would be the father?"

"Clovis."

"Rush is not the father of this child. I have never done anything I shouldn't have with him. I know you saw the kiss he and I shared, but that is as far as things went between us, Ani. I love you."

I stared, shocked. I had to regain my thought process so I could accomplish what I came here for. "Padme, I need to tell you something."

"What is it, Ani?"

"I don't love you anymore. You cheated on me with Clovis and I witnessed it. I love someone else with my whole heart and she loves me equally. I know she won't do what you've done. I trust her with my life, unlike you. You've proven yourself to be deceitful and you only think about yourself."

"Who could love you the way I do, Anakin? Tell me that."

I laughed. "I wouldn't tell you regardless of the situation. It's none of your business. I will only come near you after this child is born. I don't care for you one bit, but if this is my child, I will give it my affection. It deserves that much from its father."

She was speechless. I smiled weakly, "Good-bye, Padme."

I didn't wait for her to return the farewell. I left with a feeling of closure. Now, I could begin my life with Ahsoka the correct way. I'd tell her in the morning that I had made my decision and took care of it.

There would be room in my heart for Ahsoka, and only Ahsoka.

As I jumped into my speeder, I whispered to myself, "Only you."


	11. The Mind is a Powerful Thing

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Sleep was completely evading me. It's been about five hours since I officially left Padme. Ahsoka was still sleeping across the room. I was sitting on my bed, watching her.

I felt overtired, but my body just wouldn't shut down. It's been a while since I had a perfect and restful night. I leaned over the edge of my bed and began to do push-ups. If I couldn't sleep, I'd keep myself occupied...

Time passed quickly while I was silently exercising. I hadn't even realized the light coming into our room that had been darkened not too long ago.

I heard a soft moan. "Master? What are you doing?"

I force-flipped myself over into a sitting position on the floor. "I was keeping myself busy."

She got up to stretch and threw a yawn into the middle of it. "You look exhausted. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I don't think so."

She stared at me incredulously. "Why not? You're always so tired."

I shrugged. "I'm not quite sure this time. I felt tired, but here I am, awake as usual."

She sighed and gave me a small smile. "Oh, Master, what are you going to do once we get a mission?"

"Not sure. I'll probably die of sleep deprivation. You'll have to take my body back to Coruscant and burn it."

I watched her face go from sleepiness to horror. "Burn you?"

"Yes, it's how we release ourselves into the Force. I witnessed Master Qui-Gon Jinn's funeral."

"Um, Master, I am not going to..."

I laughed, startling her. "I'm kidding, Ahsoka. I'm not going to die on a mission for something so little as sleep. I can survive for a while because I've done it all before."

She sighed, sitting back down on her bed. "Okay."

Our eyes locked for a few moments. It felt like she was diving into my soul and I didn't stop her. She was reaching out to feel my emotions, or so I thought. I felt the strangest little prick in my head all of a sudden. I closed my eyes, trying to find the source of that feeling.

I was reliving the night my mother died. I watched myself speak to my mother for the last time, hear her voice for the last time. Once she died, my anger soared higher than the orbit of Tatooine. I saw myself slaughtering the Tusken Raiders, every last one of them.

I turned around, observing the corpses that had been run through with my lightsaber. That's when I saw Ahsoka, staring at me wide-eyed.

"Ahsoka!" I screamed, throwing up my barrier and pushing us both out of my mind.

My eyes snapped open and I felt my heart racing. I couldn't breathe, but I glanced in Ahsoka's direction. She appeared to be in the same state as me.

"What... what was that?" she whispered.

I regained some of my breath and stood in a firm position. "Do you remember when we rescued Rotta and were taking him back to Jabba?"

She silently nodded, so I continued. "I told you that I didn't want to talk about my past. Why would you dive into my mind like that, Ahsoka?"

"I wanted to see how far I could go before you stopped me. Who was she?"

"Ahsoka!" I snapped. I felt myself losing control. My mother's death and the death of all of the raiders replayed over and over in my mind. I hadn't thought about it for a while, but now I was forced to.

"Anakin, I'm so sorry," she whispered with a load of apology laced in.

I sat on the floor, trying to calm myself with meditation. After a few minutes, I finally sighed. "Ahsoka, I'm sorry for snapping."

I looked up at her to see her eyes full of tears, face tear-stained. I got up and sat next to her on her bed. She leaned into my chest and I wrapped my arms around her.

"Ahsoka," I whispered. "I have something to tell you."

She slowly pulled back to look at my face. "What is it?"

"I made my decision."

For one split second, I felt sadness and jealousy roll off of her. I could see in her eyes that she thought it was Padme. "It's you."

She blinked the tears away and smiled. "Me?"

I nodded and her arms wrapped around my neck. All of the sadness and jealousy washed away in that instant. She felt excitement and happiness.

I smiled into her neck. "I love you, Ahsoka."

"I love you, too, Anakin." I could hear quiet sobs erupting from her. Why was she crying?

I pulled back. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just really happy. I didn't think you'd choose me over Padme."

"Why did you think that?"

She looked away from my eyes until I pulled her face back. "She's so much prettier and experienced and..."

"But nothing to me," I interrupted, planting a soft kiss on her lips. "I chose you, so that means you're beautiful and everything else. You're more than I hoped to have, Ahsoka. Everything about you draws me in."

I saw the blush forming in her lekku. She was honestly trying to hide it from me by covering up the stripes.

I laughed. "Ahsoka, don't hide it."

I grabbed her hands and held them in my own. Her beautiful eyes met with mine and we shared a smile. "You're beautiful."

Another blush that she tried to hide. "Stop that," I laughed. "There's no need to hide anything from me. I want you to be comfortable with me, so stop hiding your blushes. I love it."

"I am comfortable with you, but I'd rather not show you that I'm blushing. My kind of blush is different from a human one..."

"I love seeing it in your lekku. This is actually the first time I've seen a Togruta blush."

She rolled her eyes and began to rub my arm. "Well, I'm assuming that I'm also the first Togruta you've been with."

"You've got that right," I laughed. "But of all the Togruta I've seen, you're the most beautiful."

She giggled and hugged my waist tightly. "Of all the humans I've met, you're the best and the cutest."

We relaxed on her bed for a while, just talking about anything that came up. Whether it be past missions, planets, or us.

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I loved laying next to Anakin. It was so comforting and warm. It's like we were meant to be together because this brought us both so much happiness. Both of our emotions were matched in calmness.

We talked about so many different things that I lost track of the conversation and would have to start up a new one. We laughed so much about a lot of our missions where I'd act out or he'd crash a ship and we'd have a playful argument.

Before we knew it, it was getting later into the day. It was a couple hours after noon. My stomach growled and I tried to cover it up. Anakin sat up and laughed. "I take it that was yours?"

"Yes," I said sheepishly.

"Let's go get something to eat from the mess hall. I'm sure the troops would like to see us again."

We both got off of the bed and smiled at each other. He took my hand and we walked out into the hallway. No one was in sight until the end, so we had to release our connection.

"I love you," he whispered.

I smiled up at him. "I love you, too."

I was too distracted by Anakin to realize that Master Plo was here. "Little Soka, are you all right?"

I snapped out of my distraction and smiled at him. Master Plo is like a father to me. He's the one that brought me to the Jedi to train. If he hadn't found me, who knows where I'd be right now.

"Master Plo, how good it is to see you! I'm very well, thank you. How was your mission on Geonosis?"

Some Separatists were hanging around on the planet near the area of the first battle, sparking the Clone Wars.

"It went well. We took care of the Geonosians and Muuns that returned. Dooku escaped before we could locate him. It appears as though the Banking Clan is looking for funds again."

"Go figure," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Dooku can't stick around to fight very long."

Master Plo laughed briefly. He turned to Anakin. "Skywalker, we are needed by the Council. Little Soka, you may advance into the mess hall."

He motioned for me to leave and Anakin nodded at me. I walked away, but turned to watch them speak for a few more moments before heading in the direction of the Council.

As I entered the mess hall, I was met by Captain Rex. "Commander, it's good to see you."

I smiled warmly back at him. "Good to see you, too, Rex. How are you?"

"All's well here. Is the General in?"

"General Skywalker is meeting with the Council right now, but he should be out shortly if he's not held up afterward."

He nodded. "Are you eating?"

"I was going to, but I'm not sure that I'm hungry anymore."

I had been planning on eating alone with Anakin...

"You could sit with Cody and I," he offered. I could at least sit with him until Anakin came back.

I smiled and nodded. "Sure, that sounds great. Thanks, Rex."

I walked back to his table with him. A few of the other clones were playing a card game, it looks like war. Go figure. The clones fighting in this war are playing the card game.

They were enjoying themselves, so I intently watched them. I wanted to learn the game, so perhaps I could play in the future.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"What do you mean _they?_" I asked, interrupting Mace Windu.

"It isn't just Dooku or the Sith Lord. It's some of our Jedi allies going against us as well. They are influencing the planets in which they were stationed to defend."

I stared at him incredulously, mouth open. "How could this happen? I thought that as defenders of the peace, things wouldn't get this far."

I looked to Obi-Wan, sighing and muttering under his breath. "This war is twisting the minds of many honorable men. For instance, Master Mundi..."

I looked around the Council and saw some of the faces missing. I just realized that Master Mundi was absent from the room. There would usually be holograms if they weren't able to come directly here. Masters Gallia, Kolar, and Tiin were also absent. I sure hope they aren't involved in this Separatist act...

"I can't believe this. I don't understand why..." I sighed, looking at the Council floor.

"None of us do, Skywalker," Windu replied, shaking his head.

"A great disturbance, this is. Call you when we receive more information, we will. Dismissed, you are."

I bowed to the remaining masters in the room and made my exit. Everything they'd told me was disturbing. How could these peacekeepers switch sides in a time like this? I'm hoping we'll find out soon...

I continued walking until I reached the mess hall. I peered in to see several clones eating and talking. Somehow, I couldn't spot Ahsoka.

Ah, there she is. She was at a table with Rex, Cody, and some other men. I walked over to their table to see what they were doing. It was a card game, or rather it was _war._

I laughed and everyone's head snapped in my direction. Each clone stood from their seat and saluted. I shook my head. "At ease, men. This is the mess hall, there's no need for that here."

Rex and Cody chuckled while the others went back to their game. Ahsoka's eyes locked with my own and I could see her trying to pull me closer with them.

I moved to sit beside her and as soon as I did, she took my hand in hers underneath the table.

I felt a little uneasy about the meeting with the Council, but Ahsoka washed it all away. She went back to watching the game and I continued to watch her face, seeing all the enjoyment she got from listening to the clones bicker and joke.

I smiled and looked down at our hands. Ahsoka was going to make my life so much better. Nothing bad could possibly come out of this.


	12. The Voice

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

A little bit after Anakin joined us at our table, I decided that I was kind of hungry. The clones were becoming rowdy and that's never a good thing to stick around to watch.

Anakin thought it was hilarious and entertaining, but I persuaded him to come sit with me while I eat. He did grab a bottle of the Mandalorian wine again, tempting me to ask him.

I watched him guzzle a fourth of it in no time. "Wow."

He looked at me with a confused expression. "What?"

"You drank part of that really fast. You do drink a lot."

"I drink when I can, but I never get drunk. Well, I did once, but since then, I've never gotten drunk."

I rolled my eyes. Of course he's been drunk before. "Can I have a sip?"

His eyes danced around the room for a moment, looking for watchful eyes. He slowly handed me the bottle and said, "Not a lot, Snips."

Definitely not a lot. The taste was still pretty bad, but I wanted to share something like this with him. Maybe someday I'd have the tolerance to drink it like him and we'd be able to share a whole bottle of it back and forth, but as for right now, a sip would do.

I passed it back and he took another drink. "Slow down, Anakin."

He laughed and smiled widely. "All right, Snips, but only because you're the one commanding me to slow down."

We sat in silence for a few moments. "Anakin, what did the Council want with you earlier?"

He looked down, away from me. "There were just a few problems going on that they wanted to run by me. That's all."

"It seems like it's more than that. What kind of problems did they run by you?"

He sat back in his seat and looked into my eyes. "You aren't allowed to speak to anyone, and I mean anyone, about this. Do you understand me?"

I nodded. "Of course."

He sighed and closed his eyes. "Some of our Jedi companions have... turned against us. A few of the Council members were missing and the Masters said that they had turned."

I gasped. "How many of the Council members are gone?"

"Four from what I saw."

"Which four?" I asked sadly.

"Masters Mundi, Kolar, Gallia, and Tiin."

"By the Force... how did this happen?"

He sighed. "No one knows yet. The Council said they'll summon me again when they receive more information."

"Wow," I laughed. "I can't believe this, especially from them."

"I agree. It's saddening. I'm glad we're both loyal to the Jedi and the Republic."

I punched his arm lightly. "I can't even see you as a Sith. There's too much good inside of you. You can't hurt the people you love and care about."

He blushed for a brief moment before he bowed his head and chuckled. "Thanks, Snips."

"Hey, look at me."

He laughed. "Nope."

"I want to see your face," I laughed.

He shook his head. "Not going to happen, Snips."

"Now you won't see what I was going to do..." I teased.

"I'm sure you'll tell me all about it," he laughed.

"Not this time."

He waited a few seconds before he looked at me. All the blush was gone... He must have known that it would only take so much time before it wore off.

"Oh, come on," I laughed.

"What?"

"You wanted to see my blush and I wanted to see yours. Why wouldn't you let me see it?"

He laughed for a few moments. "We aren't alone in here, Snips. I'm trying to keep myself under control around you when we're here."

That was actually a reasonable explanation. I hadn't thought of it like that. He was absolutely correct, anyone could be watching us. If either of us started acting out in front of our friends, then we could be in plenty of trouble.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about that, but there will be another time."

He smirked. "We'll see about that when it happens."

We talked about random things for a few minutes until we were interrupted.

"May I join you two?" Master Kenobi asked.

"Of course, Master," Anakin laughed.

"Good afternoon, Master Kenobi."

He turned to me and smiled. "Good afternoon, Ahsoka. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good, thank you. How are you?"

He nodded. "The same. Well, you're both going to be very tired in the next few days."

Anakin's attention snapped back to Master Kenobi. His expression full of confusion. "What do you mean by that, Master?"

"We've got a mission ahead of us, Anakin. The Council wants us to... _search _a few planets. We leave in two hours."

Anakin continued to look confused for a few moments before realization dawned on his face. He sighed. "Oh, right. Ahsoka, excuse us for a moment."

Both men stood from their seats and walked down the mess hall until they reached a secluded area. Anakin mainly spoke and Master Kenobi looked a bit upset. I wanted to know what was going on.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"We can't take her with us."

He looked upset. "Why?"

"This is too dangerous. Yes, I told her that some of the masters became turncoats, but I don't want to risk her. They know she's weaker than us. I don't want her to get hurt."

"Who would you suggest we put in her place, Anakin? The rest of the Council members will be on other planets. Plus, we are only looking for Master Mundi. After we find him, we bring him back to the temple. It will be three against one. I don't see a problem."

I sighed and looked at Ahsoka. "Master, I don't think she's ready yet. She's never fought against one of her own."

"Anakin, she's been with you for a year. I think she's ready for something this big."

Obi-Wan turned toward Ahsoka and she quickly looked away. "I'm her master and I don't think she's ready. I don't want her on this mission."

"The Council believes that she's ready, so she is coming along. I'm sorry, Anakin, but the Council rules over you."

I sighed in frustration. "Fine."

I began to walk away, but my anger took over. I turned back to him and harshly said, "If anything happens to her, I will hold you one hundred percent responsible."

I turned around and walked back to Ahsoka before I could see the look on his face or hear anything else come out of his mouth. Obi-Wan and I have been friends for a long time and we're like brothers, but we have our moments when we argue. This was one of them.

I sat back down beside Ahsoka. I could even feel her eyes on me. I was staring at the floor of the mess hall, totally frustrated.

"Anakin?"

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Yes?"

"Are you okay? I can feel all your frustration."

"I'm good, Snips. Thank you for asking," I laughed.

I opened my eyes and met her beautiful blue ones. She smiled at me and I smirked back. Obi-Wan is completely frustrating and doesn't understand a word I say most of the time, but Ahsoka just puts me right back into a good mood.

"I can't believe how beautiful you are, Ahsoka."

Her lekku began to show her blush and I laughed. "Anakin, try not to compliment me here."

She giggled and placed her fingers on top of mine. Her smile was adorable. How had I fallen in love with her? She's so young and energetic. She has so much to look forward to in the future. If she's with me, there might not be a future for her. Well, a happy one anyway. That's the last thing I want for her. I want her to be happy.

"You're frowning. What's wrong?" she asked, taking her hands away from mine.

I sighed. "I'm just thinking, Ahsoka."

"About what?"

"Your future. I want you to be happy."

She laughed. "As long as I have you, that's all I need. You make me happy, beyond it actually."

"What happens if I get taken away from you? You can't see me, hug me, kiss me. You can't do anything with me."

"I'll try to visit you as much as I can. I'll save up enough credits to get you out of there. Everyday I spend away from you is motivation to bring you back."

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "You're adorable."

"Is that because I'm younger?"

I laughed. "Partially. Mainly because your mind is so full of creativity."

We've been in the mess hall for about forty-five minutes. "Maybe we should go get ready for the mission, Ahsoka."

She nodded and jumped out of her seat. Was she really that excited to go on another mission? "Come on, Master!"

I shook my head and saw her waiting for me down the hall. I laughed and ran to catch up with her.

"Why is this mission so exciting to you, Ahsoka?"

"I've been wanting to fight some clankers for a while."

"Ahsoka..."

She was skipping down the hallway, thinking that this mission was going to be simple. She had no clue how wrong she was.

She turned around and frowned. I had stopped where I was standing. "What's wrong?"

"This mission, it's not as simple as it seems. We aren't sent out to destroy the droids or attempt to capture Dooku. This is a big mission. We are being sent to Cerea to search for Master Mundi. We are to bring him back to the temple alive, but he may put up a fight while we're on the planet."

"Master Mundi wouldn't engage us..."

"Who knows, Ahsoka? Master Gallia killed one of the padawans."

It hurt to say that about Master Gallia. She and I had fought back to back several times in the past. Now I would be fighting her face to face...

Ahsoka gasped and covered her mouth. "No..."

I nodded and walked toward her. "Let's go."

She walked very close to me, allowing her feelings of fear to wash off of her and onto me. I felt all of her fear sink into me.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you," I whispered.

She looked up at me and smiled sadly. "_Even you can't prevent fate._"

"What?" I said, shocked, stopping in my position. Everything around me seemed to fade into black.

The voice hadn't been Ahsoka's. It was something mechanical and powerful. "_The Chosen One cannot prevent the inevitable._"

"She won't die!" I yelled into the nothingness. "I won't let her!"

The voice drew closer to the point where I felt breathing on my neck. I turned around slowly and saw Padme's face. "_You can't stop what's already in motion, Ani._"

"Master?"

I clutched my head in my hands. What was that? Did Ahsoka see or hear any of that?

"Hey," she whispered, getting closer to me. "Are you okay?"

"You didn't... did anything off happen for a few moments?"

She looked concerned. "Well, aside from you, no."

"All right."

"Master, did something happen to you?"

"No. I was just curious."

I walked passed her, heading toward our room. She stood without moving for a few moments until I turned around. "Hey, you coming?"

She laughed and ran to get beside me.

She punched my arm and laughed again. We went into our room to prepare for the mission in an hour. I still think it was a bad idea for her to come along, but there's nothing I can really do about it now.


	13. The First Search

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin, Master Kenobi, and I are finally aboard the _Twilight_. We're heading to Cerea right now. Anakin was sitting in the pilot seat, Master Kenobi beside him, and I was sitting in the back.

Neither of the men have talked since we were given our mission.

"Take over," Anakin commanded harshly.

Master Kenobi nodded and took Anakin's seat. He walked back and sat beside me. I wonder if he wants to talk about something. I didn't want Master Kenobi to see anything, but I took Anakin's hand in mine and held it tightly.

He looked down at me and smiled weakly. He mouthed 'I love you.'

I smiled and kissed him silently. He was better at controlling his emotions than I was.

After I pulled away, he chuckled. He whispered, "You're amazing."

I felt the blush coming on. "You are, too."

He smirked and stroked my lekku. I was amazed at how much could slip by Master Kenobi's attention. He wasn't paying attention to what we were doing or how we were acting.

"Hey," I whispered. "What's with you and Master Kenobi?"

He sighed. "He just doesn't listen to anything I have to say. Well, aside from piloting orders, I mean."

I stroked his cheek and he closed his eyes. "What did you try to say to him?"

"Ahsoka, I..."

"We're here," Master Kenobi announced.

Anakin sighed and rolled his eyes, groaning as he stood up. He went into the pilot seat and put the landing ramp down so we could get off of the ship. He made sure everything was all right and then he got off.

Master Kenobi and I were waiting for him at the bottom of the ramp.

"Are you ready, Ahsoka?" Master Kenobi asked me.

I was about to answer when I heard a low growl escape Anakin's lips. I looked at him incredulously for a brief moment. "Yes."

Master Kenobi looked at Anakin and smirked. "Ah, see, she's ready. Are you?"

Anakin didn't answer him, choosing to push passed him roughly. I walked alongside Master Kenobi in silence, allowing Anakin's anger to cool off.

"Master," I said, looking at him. "What are you two fighting about?"

Master Kenobi sighed. "You. He believed that you weren't ready for a mission like this. He didn't want you to come along."

Anakin believed that I wasn't ready for this? How could I not be? I've learned so much from him and we've been through so much. This mission seemed kind of simple. We come in, locate Master Mundi, possibly fight him, and then drag him back to Coruscant.

I was slightly upset at the fact that he didn't believe I could handle this. I sighed and Master Kenobi's attention turned toward me. "Ahsoka, are you all right?"

"Yes, just a little distraught over the fact that my master has no confidence in me."

"He has plenty of confidence in you. I'd say that he looks at you as a little sister. He's being the big brother and will do whatever he can to protect you."

If only he knew... "Isn't that the kind of relationship you two have? You're the older brother trying to protect him?"

He chuckled. "Yes, definitely yes. I've shielded him from so much, but taught him everything he knows. Look at how he turned out. If he teaches you what he learned from me, you'll make a wonderful Jedi in the future, Ahsoka."

I smiled. "Thank you, Master Kenobi."

He nodded and we continued to walk in silence until Anakin stopped. I ran right into his back and bounced backward. Master Kenobi caught me luckily.

Anakin shushed us and told us to stay still. He silently stalked toward a large tree, holding the hilt of his lightsaber.

Master Kenobi and I watched him from where we were standing. What was he doing? I turned to look at Master Kenobi. He had the same expression I was wearing: confusion.

Before Anakin reached the tree, a lightsaber ignited and almost met Anakin's body. Anakin did a backflip and ignited his lightsaber. Master Kenobi and I did the same and charged in.

Master Mundi stood before us, looking apologetic. "Master Kenobi, Skywalker..."

"Come with us and we won't hurt you," Master Kenobi calmly said.

Anakin looked ready to attack him without the slightest bit of hesitation. He kept looking back at me, possibly checking on me.

Master Mundi glanced in my direction and Anakin's anxiety grew. "Padawan Tano."

I didn't move, but Anakin did. Anakin was now standing beside me, ready for anything.

"Master Kenobi," he said. "I'm sorry to inform you that I won't be joining you."

He jumped into the air, landing in front of me. He lightsaber was about to hit me and I closed my eyes.

I felt no pain, but I was pushed down onto the ground. I opened my eyes to see Anakin's back to me. He was holding his own against Master Mundi's lightsaber, even pressing him back a bit.

Anakin and Master Mundi began to fight, spinning their lightsabers with intense speed. He never used his lightsaber like that when we were sparring. How did he ever lose to me?

Master Kenobi came over to me, checking me for any possible injury.

Anakin's anger washed off of him and toward us. Master Mundi felt... _relaxed?_ Master Kenobi's head snapped up and looked at Anakin.

He stood and ran toward him. "Anakin! Wait!"

Within moments of him yelling that. Shots were all around us. I saw Anakin get hit by one, but he didn't let his guard down. He kept pressing Master Mundi.

I finally got to my feet and began to deflect shots that came too close to me. Mater Kenobi was trying to get Anakin off of Master Mundi before anything else happened.

More shots sounded and Anakin was down.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I knew there were droids. I knew this was a trap. Of course, being the way I am, I jumped right on into the middle of everything. Master Mundi was fighting in such a relaxed way that I almost believed he was giving up. That clearly wasn't the case.

I heard Obi-Wan yell my name and heard Ahsoka's lightsaber in motion. I didn't pause for a moment in my own motions, trying to gain a massive lead over Master Mundi even though I already had the upper hand.

He kept pulling me back and I kept following. I heard more shots blast and I was hit directly in my left side three times, simultaneously.

I dropped to the ground, deactivating my lightsaber. I held my side, trying to stop the red river from pouring out onto the ground. I looked up and Master Mundi's lightsaber was over my neck.

He was going to kill me.

"This is the end, Skywalker."

My eyes closed and I was ready for it to be the end. The pain increased and then I heard a clashing of lightsabers above me. I opened my eyes and saw Ahsoka standing over me.

She looked like she was having trouble, but I couldn't move. Obi-Wan was too busy fending off the droids. I pulled my lightsaber into my hand and activated it in the right moment, slicing off Master Mundi's hand that held the lightsaber.

He cried out in pain and his lightsaber fell only to be caught by Ahsoka before it hit me. The droids retreated as he fell to the ground.

Obi-Wan ran toward us.

"Late... as... always..." I managed to say through clenched teeth.

Ahsoka put pressure on my side, trying to stop the blood. What she didn't know was how much that hurt.

Obi-Wan grabbed Master Mundi and began to escort him back to the ship. It didn't look as though he would be coming back to help me.

"Anakin.. there's so much blood," she gasped.

"Just... get me... to the ship..."

She helped me up and I pressed my mechanical hand against the injury. She wrapped her arm around my waist and got me onto the ship after a few minutes.

As we entered, I heard Obi-Wan speaking. "Master Mundi, why would you go against us? You know we are peacekeepers!"

"Skywalker doesn't seem like a peacekeeper to me."

"He was defending his padawan and himself. You betrayed us and injured a fellow Jedi along with that charge. We're taking you directly to the Council."

So he did care that I was hurt.

Ahsoka got me up the ramp and sat me down on the cold floor of the ship. She looked around for bandages of some sort, only to find nothing. I forgot to restock the ship's supplies before we left...

Obi-Wan had Master Mundi shackled to one of the bars that held the ship intact.

Ahsoka looked back at me, frantic. "Come here," I whispered.

She walked quickly over to me and sat beside me. "Just stay.. here. Relax..."

I felt the panic and fear inside of her. "Calm down."

She closed her eyes, pushing everything negative out until she relaxed. She pressed her hands against my side again. I cried out in pain.

She looked shocked and sad all in one, but continued to keep the red flow under control. I leaned my head back against the wall and closed my eyes.

"Stay with me, Master."

"I'm still here."

A few hours passed and we were getting closer to Coruscant.

Ahsoka was asleep on my shoulder, trying her best to hold my side. I smiled down at her and then looked up at Master Mundi.

He looked kind of upset, but hey, who wouldn't be if they were in his position?

"You have such a connection with your padawan. It's almost like... an attachment."

"She isn't attached to me, nor am I to her. She's worried about me though. I'm her Master. If I taught her about having an attachment, we'd both be in trouble."

"I can sense that there's something deeper than a Master and padawan bond, Skywalker."

"Your senses are off then."

He was about to speak when Obi-Wan came back. "We've reached Coruscant."

He looked at Ahsoka and I shook my head. He didn't ask any questions, instead turning away to land the ship. If he asked questions later, I would answer them. Of course, they wouldn't exactly be the truth...

I felt the ship land. Obi-Wan came back and released Master Mundi from the bar, only to imprison his hands behind his back. Obi-Wan forced Master Mundi off of the ship and led him to the temple.

I sat here with Ahsoka for a few more minutes before I decided to try carrying her off of the ship myself. I didn't want to sit here until Obi-Wan came back.

I carefully pushed her off of my shoulder so that she was leaning back against the wall. I stood up, feeling completely weak. Ahsoka was pretty light last time I had to carry her. I picked her up and held her in my arms, bridal style.

I was able to make it down the landing ramp and through the Jedi temple like this. As soon as I got to our quarters, I placed her on her bed and crashed onto mine.

I began to breathe heavily. The pain in my side was ten times worse than it had been.

I slowly stood back up and walked out of the room and into the medical bay.

The droid checked me out, stitched me up, and gave me the proper medication to take care of the pain. I thanked the droid and left.

I walked back into the room to see Ahsoka sitting up on her bed. As soon as she saw me, she raced over to me. "I am so sorry for falling asleep! Did you hurt yourself bringing me in here?"

I laughed and kissed her lips lightly. "I'm fine, Ahsoka. I just got out of the med bay."

"How are you feeling?"

"Decent. I'm still in a bit of pain though. How are you?"

"Good..."

She took hold of my hand and pulled me toward her bed. I didn't like how this was going. I think she sensed how uncomfortable I felt because she gave me a calm smile. She laid down on her bed and pulled me next to her. Once I was beside her, she cuddled up closer to me, laying her head on my chest and her hand on my stomach.

I watched her close her eyes and she whispered, "I love you, Anakin."

I smiled. "I love you, too, Ahsoka."

With the force, I locked the door. After that, I closed my eyes and drifted off as well.


	14. Off to Orto Plutonia

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up the next morning and Anakin was gone. I was all alone in my bed...

I sat up and yawned. Where did he go?

I looked around and there was no note. I could feel that he was still in the building. Maybe he was giving his report on the mission.

I went into the refresher and took a shower for a few minutes. After I was finished, I dressed myself and walked back out into the room.

I was going to go find him since he wasn't back yet. As I was walking out of the door, I ran right into a hard chest.

"Ow," I muttered.

I looked up and there he stood, smiling at me. "Sorry. Good morning, Snips."

"Where were you?"

"Obi-Wan woke me up early to give my report. The Council wanted to know what happened to his hand, so I was called in. Otherwise, I would have given my report later in the day with you."

"Oh, well, why couldn't I go with you? Didn't Master Kenobi want me there as well?"

He shrugged. "I didn't feel the need to wake you up. You looked peaceful and you needed some rest after yesterday. Obi-Wan said it wasn't necessary that you came."

I rolled my eyes. "What about you? Don't you need some rest? I mean, you've only been up forever. I know you went to sleep last night, but you need it more than I do."

He laughed. "If you were my master then you could have left me to sleep, but I'm the master. I needed to be there to speak for us both."

"You are definitely getting more sleep now that our mission is over."

He had this look on his face that I couldn't read, but I knew there was something else he had to tell me. I could also sense the uneasiness building up inside of him. "What's wrong?"

"Well, there's a problem. We have a new mission that we're leaving for later tonight..."

I sighed in frustration. "What are we doing now?"

"We're going after Master Gallia."

"Oh," I replied. "Well, at least we can lock her up for killing a padawan. Speaking of locking up, what happened to Master Mundi?"

"He's being held in a cell made for a Jedi. There's no way he can escape unless a Master releases him. As of right now, the Council members and I have the code to unlock it. There's only a few people it could be, which makes it easier to figure out."

"Why wasn't I included in that?"

He hesitated. "Well, Ahsoka, they don't quite... trust you. You're a padawan."

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," he responded, looking hurt. "Why wouldn't I?"

I half smiled. "I just wanted to make sure. How are you feeling? Is your side hurting you anymore?"

"It still hurts a lot. I went back to the med bay to get more medications. The pain relievers aren't doing much for me. It kind of feels like it's getting worse."

"Is there anything I can do for you to make you feel better?" I whispered.

He smirked and I had a bad feeling. "I wish, but no. Thank you, Ahsoka."

I pulled him by his arm into the room and kissed him, wrapping my arms around his neck. His arms slowly wrapped around my waist and he leaned into the kiss.

After a few moments, I brought my hands down from his neck and slowly began trailing them down his chest and abdomen.

He began to kiss me with more viciousness than I had ever expected him to use. It was almost as if his animal instincts were taking over. I had no idea that humans even had those.

I continued to travel down his body until I reached a certain point. He pulled away instantly and looked shocked. He stood there, a few feet from me, with his mouth open. No words would escape his lips for several minutes.

"Anakin," I said, pleading.

He backed away from me and shook his head. "No, Ahsoka. I am not doing this."

"Do you love me?"

He turned back toward me and pain showed on his face. "Of course I love you. I just... I can't do this to you. I'm not prepared and I don't believe you are either."

"If you loved me, you'd do this."

His pain intensified and I felt his anger boiling. "No, Ahsoka."

The expression on his face was very dark and threatening. I was intimidated by it. That look was so unlike him. He looked... _evil_. If I didn't know him as well as I did, I would almost guess that he was.

I felt the fear showing on my face. There was no way I could hide it now. After a few moments, his face relaxed and fear was shown on his face. An apologetic expression arrived and took over.

He reached out for me and I leaned into his chest. "I am so sorry, Ahsoka," he whispered.

Tears began to roll down my face uncontrollably. I didn't want Anakin to see them, but he could clearly hear my sobs. He pulled me closer to him and wrapped his arms around me, leaning his head on my shoulder.

"I didn't mean to terrify you, Snips. I'm really sorry..."

The whispering made me sadder, but I knew he cared. He didn't yell at me for being weak, nor did he speak normally indicating that nothing happened.

I couldn't make words form properly. I was listening to his heartbeat, enjoying each and every second of it. If this is how I was going to react each time he said no to me, I'd better learn to stop asking. I should have known better. He loves and cares about me regardless of how we show it.

I pulled back to look at his face, grasping his hands in mine. His face was also tear-stained. "Anakin," I began, wiping his tears away. "I'm sorry for pressuring you into doing this. I can wait, I promise. I will wait until you say you're ready."

"I... I just don't want to hurt you, Ahsoka. I love you too much to do that to you."

"That's why I love you," I whispered, kissing his flesh hand.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

A few hours have passed since the Council assigned our next mission. Anakin and Ahsoka were late, as usual. Why were they always so late?

I was waiting inside the _Twilight_, prepping it in hopes that they'd both arrive very soon. I didn't want to fly this thing all the way to Orto Plutonia. Hopefully Anakin remembered his snow suit.

I looked out of the window to see them both running toward the ship. I laughed and went to meet them. Well, he hadn't forgotten about the cold weather. It looked as if he had enough packed for himself and Ahsoka, but it was all his...

He wasn't too fond of the cold.

"Well, hello you two. Ahsoka, do you have your snow suit?"

She smiled at me. "Hello, Master Kenobi. Yes, I do. Thank you for asking."

We both turned to look at Anakin who was fidgeting with the glove on his mechanical hand.

"How are you feeling?" I asked calmly, focusing my attention on my old friend.

"I'm fine," he muttered roughly.

He didn't seem fine. He looked and felt very nervous. He usually wouldn't touch the glove because it disturbed him, but he was fidgeting with it almost as if his life depended on it.

I glanced at Ahsoka, giving her a questioning look. She rubbed her side and acted as if she were in pain. _Oh._

"Anakin, are you feeling up to this mission? You can remain here and stay in the medical bay if you need to."

He released his hand and pushed passed Ahsoka and me. I put a hand on his shoulder and he gave me a sinister look. "I don't want to be treated like a child, _Master._"

"Anakin," I sighed, exasperated. "I wasn't treating you like one. I'm trying to take care of you. I want to help you."

He laughed, but it was a very abnormal one. "_Help me._ Try to help yourself, Obi-Wan."

"What has gotten into you, Anakin?"

He shook his head and walked up the ramp and into the _Twilight_.

I turned to Ahsoka and her mouth was hanging open. Her eyes were wide. Obviously he hadn't been acting like this before he got here.

"Ahsoka, what's going on with him?"

"I... I'm not sure. He's been acting like this off and on."

"On the way there I'm going to try talking to him."

She sighed and bit her lip. "I wouldn't recommend it. When I talk to him, he looks so much more frightening. If you think that's bad, make him really angry."

_Angry._ Anakin was angry. I was beginning to think that it was directed toward me. What had I done so wrong that upset him?

I shook my head and motioned for Ahsoka to follow me into the ship. We walked up the ramp and sat in our rightful positions.

Anakin looked focused on the controls, but I could tell that his mind was elsewhere. I wanted to know what I had done to upset him this much.

He looked back at Ahsoka and then he began to fly the ship.

After several minutes of flying, he jumped into hyperspace. I figured that now was the best time to strike up a conversation with him.

"Anakin," I began slowly. "What's been going on with you lately?"

He didn't look at me, but he scowled ahead of him.

"Talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me the truth. What did I do wrong?"

"The way you've been acting lately. You never listen to me nor do you take my thoughts into consideration. I feel like I'm talking to a wall. I know how it feels and I hate feeling that way around you."

I felt my jaw drop very close to the ground. "I've always listened to you."

"Not when it comes to Ahsoka."

"Anakin, that was the Council's –"

"You were on that Council last time I checked. Aren't you able to suggest ideas to them? I told you I didn't believe she should come, but you turned it around so that the Council was to blame. You took control over the situation and forced me to take Ahsoka with us. Like I said to you, if anything happens to her, you're wholly responsible."

I felt his anger and Ahsoka's uneasiness rising rapidly.

"Master," Ahsoka whispered. "Please, calm down."

He turned on her for a moment, sharing his glare for me with her. After a few seconds, his expression softened and he looked away, facing the controls again. Ahsoka's childish face had been pleading, as if she held the strings to his emotions.

He was letting her control him. Obviously he had opened up some part of his soul to her that he hadn't shared with me. Perhaps we both still had a lot to know about each other before we really became close again.

I relaxed my attempt to speak to him. I would just have Ahsoka talk to him and have her tell me everything he says.

"We're coming up on Orto Plutonia," he whispered after several minutes.

I watched Ahsoka rest her hand on his shoulder in such a comforting manner. These two had definitely shared something. Their bond felt strong, stronger than the one he and I had shared as Master and padawan.

If Anakin was forming an attachment to his padawan, he would be going against the Jedi way. Then again, I formed an attachment to him. He's almost like my brother that I've never had. I miss the way he used to smile and laugh. All he ever does around me is scowl and remain silent...


	15. Crazy in the Cold

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Master Kenobi seemed upset as we neared our landing point. Anakin's anger had simmered a bit, but it was still there.

He landed the _Twilight _in one piece, despite his mood.

"Suit up, Snips," he ordered.

He turned around in his chair and came into the back. His pack was next to mine, making it easy to touch him.

I wrapped my hand around his arm and made him look into my eyes. He continued to suit himself up in a very frustrated manner. The zipper wasn't working properly for him. Eventually, he sighed and looked at me.

"You need to relax."

"I hate this place. It's nothing that I'm used to and it's nothing I could ever get used to."

Master Kenobi was suited up and ready to go within minutes, so he left the ship. Anakin and I remained and continued to stare into the others' eyes.

"Your emotions are in turmoil," I whispered, helping him with his zipper.

Once his suit was finished, I got into my own. I had no problem because I took my time. I took his gloved hand in my own gloved one and leaned up to kiss him. He leaned in and gave me a short kiss.

"It's this place and Obi-Wan. I'm really sorry," he whispered sorrowfully.

"We'll be out of here soon enough. If we find Master Gallia, we can leave."

He sighed and chuckled. "The simple mind you have." He pulled his snow goggles down over his face, which turned out to be an amusing sight.

I bit my lip to hold back the laugh that wanted to escape. I pulled my goggles down and we released our interlocked hands. Together, we walked down the landing ramp.

"Ah, I was beginning to think you two weren't coming," Master Kenobi laughed.

I heard Anakin mumble something under his breath and walk passed me. Master Kenobi and I trailed a bit behind him.

"Has anything happened to him that I should know about, Ahsoka?" Master Kenobi whispered.

"Nothing that I'm aware of. I'm sure it's just stress. He's been pushed a lot recently. I bet the mission after mission deal gets to him every now and then. He hasn't been very social, but he talks to me."

"I apologize for any stress he puts on you because of me. Apparently I'm the cause of his stress. I've pushed him into these missions because I want to get to know him better. He and I had a fall out, and it seems like this is only making it worse."

"What happened between you two?"

"Before he became a Knight, I told him that his attachment toward a woman needed to cease. He didn't take it very lightly. The woman said that she would take care of it. He escorted her back to her home planet and she ended it. I'm assuming he resents me for the end of their relationship."

I could tell that he was talking about Senator Amidala. "I had no idea."

"You wouldn't, Ahsoka. I get the feeling that he's becoming attached to you. There's more than the bond between a Master and padawan."

I stopped and so did he. "Master Kenobi, you know –"

"I know that you're against attachments, Ahsoka. I can tell that the attachment is only coming from him. Just don't let him get to you, all right? It's bad enough that he's reckless. The attachment could get you both killed someday."

There was a sudden shift in the Force. Master Kenobi and I both felt it and looked toward a large glacier.

Anakin kept walking, sensing nothing. His anger must be clouding everything else.

"Master!" I yelled.

He immediately turned back toward us with alarm clear on his face.

There was a blast from the glacier shooting into another. Both were beginning to collapse, falling inward.

"Run!" Anakin yelled.

Master Kenobi and I turned quickly and began to run.

I heard the ice crack as it hit the ground and it began to slide in our direction. Being clumsy was unusual for me, happening in the worst of times. This was one.

I tripped over a large rock that I hadn't seen through my goggles. I hit the ground with such force that I couldn't breathe for a moment.

I saw Master Kenobi continue to run. There was nothing I could do.

Within seconds, a large form was covering me.

"Stay down," Anakin whispered.

He laid on top of me as the ice and snow drifted over us, trapping us underneath.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

I put the Force into my sprint and jumped onto the first piece of frozen land that was elevated. I turned around, searching for Anakin and Ahsoka.

Neither of them were in sight. I could feel them in the Force, a tell tale sign of their life.

I reached out further and felt closer to them. Anakin's life was very faint, but Ahsoka's was much stronger. When had they fallen behind me?

I ran over the land, hoping that they would still be alive by the time I reached them.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I felt myself drifting in and out of consciousness. The cold was beginning to shut me down. At least Ahsoka was all right. The snow was covering us both, but more so me. She would live through this. Hopefully Obi-Wan would find her.

"Mas...ter..." she whimpered. "Are... are you... okay?"

Her form as shivering beneath mine.

"F...fine... Sn...Snips..."

Her hands were moving now. I felt her hands grab onto the sides of my waist.

"Is... is this... the right... time... for that...?"

"Shut... shut up... Ana... Anakin..."

Suddenly, a flash of blue appeared and warmth was all around us. She couldn't grab her lightsaber because it was under my right leg. Trust me, I know. I could feel the hilt of it...

I looked at her face which held a bunch of determination. What was she trying to do?

"Anakin, can you move at all?"

"I'm... I'm... fr... freezing... Ah... Ahsoka..."

Her legs squirmed until her knees were bent and beside my waist. "I'm going to try to push you off of me. I'll try to use the heat of your lightsaber to melt the snow."

I was beginning to shiver uncontrollably, teeth chattering and all. Ahsoka stared at me for a moment with a look of horror before quickly moving out from under me. She held my lightsaber in an upward position and pushed.

The snow was melting rapidly, dripping down on us. "Almost there. Hang on, Anakin."

It was amazing how cold I felt even though I had about two layers of snow suit padding on...

A whole pile of melted snow dripped down and light poured in. She had just broken through the layer of ice above us, we could get out of here finally.

She deactivated my lightsaber and bent down beside me. She lifted me as best she could, clipping my lightsaber to her belt.

"Anakin, how cold are you? You're shaking so bad and your lips are turning blue."

"I'm... I'm... f...fine."

"No, you aren't," she said angrily. She tugged me off of the ground with all of her strength and led me out of the ice barricade.

I was able to walk very unsteadily, causing her to hold most of my body weight. She led me to an area that seemed secluded and hidden by very small ice mounds and rocks.

She sat me down against a frozen rock and pulled her pack off of her back. She began searching through it. I had no idea what she was looking for, but I guess she found it.

She sat on the ground and began to set up a small fire. It only took a few minutes and then it was finished. She moved closer to me and wrapped her arm around me. "Are you feeling any better?"

I still felt extremely cold, but I was feeling a bit better. I wasn't shivering as much. "I feel fine."

She leaned her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. A smile began to form on her beautiful face. I wondered what she was thinking about right now, but I didn't feel the need to ask her.

The silent peace remained for a few moments until her eyes snapped open and she jerked into a sitting position. "What's wrong?"

"What do you think happened to Master Kenobi?"

Obi-Wan... she had to bring him up. That just _brightened _my day. We were alone, sharing an intimate moment and she had to bring him up.

I shrugged. "He's probably fine."

"Don't you care about him?"

"Of course I do, Ahsoka."

She gave me this small glare. "You don't act like it. Are you upset with him because he told you to end your relationship with Padme? Is that what this is all about?"

"Did... did he tell you that?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes, he did. Is that why you're mad at him? Because of her?"

"No," I said angrily.

"What's with you two? He thinks it was that, but I don't know. You say it's not, he says it is. I want to hear your reasoning for the arguing."

I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head on them. I remained silent, hoping that she would drop the subject and end all conversation.

After a few minutes, I heard her sigh. I relaxed from my tense position when I heard it. That meant she was giving up and letting it go.

"Anakin, I want to know."

I heard movement and felt her lean against me. Her hand reached for my gloved, mechanical one. I wanted to look at her, but I didn't want to let my silence down. The silence counted on me to not reveal the hurt and pain from my past.

"Tell me," she whispered.

I was beginning to feel the need to tell her, but I knew I shouldn't. I feared that my anger would take over me again. I was right...

I lurched into a standing position and all my anger flooded into my voice. "He's so hypocritical! He tells me that I shouldn't form attachments, yet he is doing just that behind my back. He saw what was going on between Padme and I. I betrayed his trust and married her. The last time he and I were on Mandalore, he was overjoyed to be there. He and the Duchess were very comfortable around each other and the looks they gave each other gave them away. He's formed an attachment after he told me strictly not to."

"How do you know he's formed an attachment to her?"

"That..." I began, reliving the memory of the night I found out Obi-Wan became a hypocrite. "Well, I was in the room next to his. The Duchess went into his room and they talked... more than talked really..."

She gasped slightly and stood by my side. "I'm sorry," she whispered. She leaned against me and put her hand on my chest where my heart was.

I grasped her hand and sighed. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I've been acting angry and stressed out and it's hurting you. I don't want to hurt you. I'll do anything I can to make it up to you."

I regretted those final words as soon as I said them. I knew what she'd want me to do. I don't think I'm willing to promise that...

"Anything?" she whispered, seriously.

I closed my eyes. "Anything."

She grabbed both of my hands in hers. "You already know what I want, but I want _you _ to be comfortable with doing it."

I held my breath for a few moments before speaking. "Does here work for you?"

"Here?" she asked, shocked.

"Yes. Is here okay?"

"Uh..." she trailed off. "Anakin, are you sure about this?"

No. "Yes."

"If you're absolutely sure, then yes. Here is fine."

I grabbed a blanket from my pack and laid it down on the ground. I looked into her eyes, telling her what to do.

She laid down and began to undress herself slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. I walked over to her, slowly doing the same.

I positioned myself on top of her and slowly and cautiously began to make love to her.


	16. Bad Reunion

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I was breathing heavily after Anakin made love to me. He was laying beside me, exhausted. I felt the same, but I was excited. He was the only one to go that far with me and that's how I plan to keep it. Of all the women he could have chosen, he chose me. The Chosen One chose me.

"Are you all right?" he whispered, sitting up.

"More than all right," I laughed. "I feel great."

He looked at me like I was crazy. "You really feel great?"

"Yes, I do."

He laughed. "Well, I guess I did something right then."

"When don't you do something right?"

"A lot. Believe me."

I rolled my eyes at him. He doesn't understand how wonderful he is. I try to tell him as much as possible, but he just doesn't get it.

"Anakin," I said, kissing him. "You do a lot of things right. You're a great man and always have been."

He half smiled and kissed me passionately. "I try to be the best I can, especially for you. I don't want to hurt you or depress you. I love you."

"I love you, too," I whispered.

"Let's get dressed."

We both stood and grabbed our suits, putting them on. It was really cold without them at first, but with our body heat, it became bearable.

After we were dressed, we sat side by side near the fire. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into his side.

"We'll look for Obi-Wan in the morning. It's too dark to even consider it right now."

I looked up at his face. The flames were playing tricks on his face, showing a dark and light side to it. In that moment, I had a premonition.

Screams and blasts were surrounding me. I turned around in circles, watching people run in horror. I was looking through the eyes of whoever was committing this act.

Nothing ever came close to hitting me. I couldn't control whoever I was impersonating until their hands raised. A blue lightsaber was in hand and there was a black glove. I looked closer and saw that it was Anakin's glove. _This was Anakin._

He raised his lightsaber up and charged into the middle of the screaming people and began slaughtering them. I zoomed out of his body and was now looking at him from my point of view.

His hood was up and his robes covered his body. He turned in my direction, killing another innocent being, and the look on his face showed pure evil. His eyes were yellow and his face held no emotion...

"_Ahsoka!_"

I closed my eyes and opened them moments later. I saw the snow and ice around me, Anakin at my side.

"Hey, are you okay?"

His face held so much fear, I'm assuming my own expression matched his. "No. Are you?"

He shook his head and breathed in and out heavily. "My... nightmare came back to me, but I wasn't asleep. What happened to you in those few moments?"

"I saw your nightmare as a premonition. It was everything you told me, but... there was more. You... your face..."

"You saw what I saw?"

I nodded and bit my lip. "There is no way this is a premonition! I can't let that happen! I don't want to hurt people, I want to help them."

He stood up abruptly and began to walk away from me. Once he stopped, he held his head in both hands and I felt his agony.

I ran to him and pulled him to me. "Anakin, please, calm down. I won't let you become that. I won't let it happen."

He fell into a sitting position, pulling me down with him. I hate seeing him this way. All the agony was flooding into his expression. I pulled his head close to my chest and stroked his hair, attempting to relax him.

"I don't want that to become real..." he whispered.

I kissed his hair and closed my eyes. "You won't become that thing in your nightmare, Anakin. I won't let you."

He looked up at me, sorrow filling his eyes. I wanted to cry in that moment just by seeing the pain he carried. "How are you going to stop it?"

"I don't know, but I will. There's too much good in you."

He looked down and half smiled. "Thank you, Ahsoka. You have no idea how much it means to me to hear that. This... premonition or nightmare has been scaring me. I don't want to become a monster. I want to be here to love you and take care of you."

I kissed him lightly and hugged him. "I'm here for you, Anakin. I always will be. I'll never let you go down that path. Now, come on. Let's get some rest."

I pulled him over to the cover lying on the ground and we both laid on it, falling asleep shortly after.

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

Ugh, I've been running all night. I still can't find the two of them.

I decided to stop, focus, and try to trace them through their Force signatures. I closed my eyes and let my mind go with the Force, trekking through the frozen wasteland.

Slowly, I found them. Anakin's life was much stronger now, but his anguish controlled his emotions. I almost thought that something happened to Ahsoka when I found her Force signature. I internally sighed and relaxed.

I saw where they were. They were safe and warm. I was relieved that neither of them would be freezing to death.

I began running as fast as I could to reach my companions.

It took several minutes, but I had finally made it. I wasn't as cold because I had been moving, but the warmth of the fire was much appreciated.

Anakin and Ahsoka were lying side by side on a cover. Had they really only brought one cover to wrap themselves in?

I threw down my own cover and decided to get some rest. We're going to be here for a while, might as well sleep.

**The next morning. **

I awoke as soon as the light came back, before Anakin or Ahsoka woke up. I glanced over to see Anakin's arm wrapped around Ahsoka. He and I were going to have a serious talk about that later.

I pulled out a few rations of foods and began to eat them. After a few minutes, Anakin rolled over onto his side and groaned.

He slowly lifted himself on one arm and went into a sitting position, rubbing his eyes. He ran his hand through his hair and blinked a few times.

He turned in my direction and jumped. "Master, when did you get here?"

"Late last night. You two were asleep already. I didn't feel the need to wake either of you up. What happened to you both when we were running from the glaciers?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Ahsoka tripped and I tried to protect her."

That explains why his life was so weak earlier in the day yesterday. He had probably been freezing from the cold of ice and snow.

"Well, you're both alive, so good job."

"Thanks," he said, caution filling his voice.

"Anakin," I began. "We need to talk about you and your padawan. It appears as though you're forming a close and intimate attachment to her. You know that she'll become a Knight in a few years. You'll have to let go of her. That is why she was given to you."

"Are you telling me to close yet another attachment?"

"Yes, I am. It's against the Code."

"I know that, but do you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, shocked. What was he getting at?

"I know about your attachment to the Duchess of Mandalore, Obi-Wan. Why must you be such a hypocrite? You tell me not to form attachments when you're doing it."

"I do not –"

"Yes, you do!" he yelled. "I heard you two. You both thought that I was sleeping because I hadn't come out for a while. I was meditating. I heard the door open and I heard you both speaking. I heard _everything._"

"Anakin..."

How was I going to play this one off? He heard everything because he was in the room next to mine. I knew that doing anything with him around was a very bad idea.

Ahsoka was awake now and staring back and forth between Anakin and me. She looked so confused. I didn't want her to hear most of this conversation because she's too young. Anakin and I need to handle this like adults.

He was currently sitting next to her, glaring at me. His eyes never left mine. I could see the anger burning in them.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? That's not good enough, Master. Being a Jedi requires no attachments. How come you teach me not to form them, but you –"

I stood quickly and reached out toward him. I didn't even realize what I'd been doing. The action was not a conscious one that I thought about, it just happened.

_I hit him._

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Master Kenobi jumped up and reached out quickly. All in one motion, he hit Anakin. He punched him right in the mouth.

"Anakin!" I screamed.

He was holding his mouth with his eyes closed. I could tell that it was bleeding.

I held Anakin's shoulders and looked up at Master Kenobi.

"Anakin... I... I didn't mean it..."

"Get away! Get away right now!" Anakin screamed. His scream was in anger and pain. He never expected this kind of action from his old master. I never expected this from him.

Anakin leaned into my chest and held me close with one arm. He wanted me to stay, but he didn't want Master Kenobi here.

Master Kenobi's expression showed a deep hurt. He glanced at me and I frowned. I mouthed that I was sorry to him and he shook his head, telling me not to be.

He moved a few feet away from Anakin, leaving a vast space between the two of us and himself.

"Let me see it, Anakin," I whispered.

He lifted his face. A bit of his cheek was beginning to bruise and his mouth looked bad. I guess Master Kenobi packed quite a bit of the Force into his punch.

I stroked his cheek carefully and moved to his mouth. It was very light so I didn't hurt him. "Everything's going to be all right now. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Why isn't he gone?"

"Anakin, don't be –"

"Are you taking his side?" he whispered harshly, glaring.

"No, of course I'm not. I don't take sides, but I love you. If I had to choose a side, I'd be on yours, okay? I'm not going against you. I just don't want your anger to get to you."

I pulled the hood of my suit up as the wind picked up. Anakin did the same. I moved to sit in front of him and leaned in to peck his lips. Again, I did this lightly. I didn't need him mad at me for hurting him.

"I love you," I whispered slowly.

He smiled weakly and whispered, "I love you."

He kissed me passionately for a few moments, but pulled away, remembering that Master Kenobi was here. Luckily, he didn't see the kisses we had just shared.

I placed my hands on his shoulders and stared into his eyes. "You'll be okay. I know you're both going to make up soon. Don't be too angry at him, okay?"

He sighed and nodded. "I'll try. Thank you, Ahsoka."

"I'm always here for you, Master," I laughed.

He smirked. "Of course you are, my padawan."

I sat beside him and pulled a few rations out of my pack and shared them with Anakin. Obi-Wan was already eating in silence, looking out across this frozen land.

I hoped that we'd get out of here soon. We'd have to find the ship, hoping that it wasn't covered in ice and snow. Well, that was the second thing we'd do. First, we had to find Master Gallia...

**A/N: I'd like to send help in a friend's direction. Please, check out MissKenobi99's story Step By Step! She would love to have some more readers and reviewers! Thank you. **


	17. Return to Coruscant

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

We were walking along the frozen ridge in such an awkward silence. Anakin and Master Kenobi were on either side of me, but no words were being spoken. I felt so out of place standing in between them. I felt like I was the one separating them.

I wanted them to speak, but I knew how stubborn Anakin could be. He wouldn't talk to Master Kenobi until he received an apology.

"How much further?"

"Ahsoka –" Anakin and Master Kenobi began. They both stopped and looked at each other. Master Kenobi motioned for Anakin to continue, but he just glared.

"Sorry I asked..." I muttered.

"Do you sense that?" Anakin threw out. I looked up at him, not sensing anything.

"Gallia," they both said, pulling out their lightsabers. I couldn't sense anything, but ignited my own lightsaber as well. It was better to be prepared.

"Master Kenobi, Skywalker," Master Gallia greeted. She turned to me. "Youngling."

Anakin moved into a fighting position and Master Kenobi matched his on the opposite side. They always had something planned out when it came to combat. I stood in my normal stance, waiting for something to happen.

I got what I was waiting for. Droids appeared and we were being blasted at from all angles. I was having a rough time deflecting each shot.

"Master," I said through clenched teeth. I turned my head slightly to see Anakin chasing Master Gallia.

"He'll be fine," Master Kenobi yelled.

We both fell into a rhythm of deflecting and advancing to destroy the droids. I hoped that he was right. I hoped that Anakin would be fine.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I ran after Master Gallia without thinking. I was hurt because she had betrayed us. I failed at capturing Master Mundi when I had the chance, so this was the one I had to redeem myself.

"Skywalker, you're a fool."

I glared, feeling my anger build up. She was fueling my energy.

"Killing you will be easy," she laughed, raising her lightsaber above her head. She began the duel, using a padawan's lightsaber skills. How was she going to kill me with those?

She Force-pushed me backwards, causing me to tumble back into the snow.

I shook the snow off and searched for my lightsaber. Her blue one was in my face. "You lose, Skywalker. Your padawan and master will fall because of you."

She did some hand signal and a blast hit a glacier several yards behind me. I turned around to watch. It was where Ahsoka and Obi-Wan were.

"No!" I yelled.

"You've failed."

I felt the fear from Ahsoka and the pain inside of both of them. They were being crushed as I was sitting here, doing nothing.

I pulled my lightsaber to me and caught Master Gallia off guard. I ran my lightsaber through her chest without thinking. She made a gasping sound and fell once I pulled my lightsaber out.

I had just _killed _her. I stared at her lifeless body in horror for a few moments before realizing that I needed to save Ahsoka and Obi-Wan.

I ran as fast as I could, pushing myself into overdrive as I attempted to get there in time.

I saw mounds of snow covering the area where droids and my two friends had been. I began searching through the snow, finding nothing.

"Come on," I sighed in frustration. I hadn't stopped searching, but I was beginning to lose hope. Ahsoka could be dying...

A flash of blue appeared right where I was about to stand. I jumped backwards as Obi-Wan emerged from the snow.

"You couldn't have come out any closer to me," I said angrily.

We sifted through more of the snow, searching for Ahsoka. I felt her life drifting.

For the second time in the last half hour, I cried out in denial. She couldn't be dying. I couldn't let her. This was my fault. If I hadn't failed at stopping Gallia, she would be fine.

I pulled all of the Force into my chest and released it in a massive wave, sending snow all over the area. I saw my padawan lying on the ground, turning blue.

"Ahsoka, Ahsoka, no," I cried out, running over to her. "Wake up, Ahsoka. Please, you have to."

I pulled her close to me. "Anakin, the ship isn't too far from here. We'll come back for Gallia another time. Let's get her to safety before she dies of hypothermia."

We ran back toward the ship. Hopefully it wasn't covered like everything else had been. We arrived near the ship to see that it was just as we had left it. I ran up the ramp and placed Ahsoka on the floor. I began to take her snow gear off and wrapped her in a blanket that had been stored in a compartment.

I took my goggles off and began to hold her close to me. I was shaking from the fear that I might lose her. I was going to lose her.

Obi-Wan came up the ramp and watched me rock Ahsoka back and forth. He didn't say anything, instead walking into the cockpit and preparing the ship. The ramp behind me came up as the ship elevated into the air, making its way for the atmosphere of Orto Plutonia. We went into hyperspace after a few minutes, heading back to Coruscant.

I held Ahsoka in my arms the entire time we flew back. Obi-Wan never came back to check on me. I was beginning to think that he thought I was losing it. In fact, I was losing it. Without Ahsoka I would be nothing.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan called back. "We're coming up on Coruscant. How is she?"

"She's still freezing," I answered, feeling her cheek.

I looked ahead of me into the cockpit. The swirls of hyperspace had disappeared and Coruscant came into view.

"We're almost there, Snips. Hang in there, please. I need you..."

We landed a few minutes later. Obi-Wan lowered the ramp and I picked Ahsoka up. I ran off of it and headed into the temple, directly for the medical bay.

As soon as I reached the room, I laid her on the bed and called a droid in. The droid began checking up for her. I pulled a chair close to the foot of the bed and sat in it.

I waited for about three hours and Ahsoka still hadn't woken up. I put my head in my mechanical hand and sighed deeply. This was all my fault.

The door whooshed open and Obi-Wan appeared. "Anakin."

I looked up at him, feeling more than one hundred percent miserable. "Wow," he said, stepping back. "I never thought you could look as bad as you do right now."

"Thanks," I muttered, sighing and looking down at the floor.

"Anakin, what happened to Master Gallia? Did she get away?"

I closed my eyes. "I... killed her, Master. I'm sorry."

I opened my eyes to see the shock on his face. "You killed her? Anakin, we needed her! What is the Council going to say when you give your report?"

"They'll tell me how disappointed they are in me and how much of a failure I truly am. I can't stop myself from killing the person we needed to bring back to Coruscant, I can't stop my padawan from dying, and I can't stop you from hating me."

"Anakin, you're not a failure. Even you can't prevent fate."

I felt my eyes widen at what he had just said. "Repeat that again."

"You're not a failure?" he asked, confused.

"No. What did you say after that?"

"I said that even you can't prevent fate."

I stood up. "What's wrong, Anakin?"

"That was a line that I heard in my mind. It wasn't said by you, but you just repeated it."

He stroked his beard, a habit that he always had. "This is interesting. Who said that line?"

"Well, I don't know. It was a mechanical voice."

"I will speak with Yoda about this. You should... give your report soon. As soon as she wakes up, the three of us will meet with the Council together."

I nodded and he left me alone with Ahsoka. I turned back to her sleeping form. Her skin had gone back to its normal coloring, which was a good sign.

I leaned back in my chair, my eyes never leaving her face. I wanted to be here when she woke up and I didn't want to leave her until she did.

I relaxed into the chair and closed my eyes for a moment. It was only a moment...

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I was having a nightmare. I knew I was because this couldn't have been real.

I was chained to a wall, watching Anakin get hit by lightning. He was being tortured, destroyed. I couldn't see the face of his enemy, but I could tell that it was the Sith Lord.

"_Stop!_" I cried out.

The faceless enemy laughed and intensified the lightning. Anakin cried out in pain and began writhing on the floor.

"Please, stop!" I yelled, my eyes opening. I jerked into an upright position and saw Anakin sleeping in a chair in front of me.

He woke up startled by my outburst. He rushed over to me, tripping over himself. He grabbed my hand, worry spreading across his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I sighed. "It was just a dream. Where are we?"

"We're back on Coruscant. You're in the medical bay. How do you feel?"

"I feel like I was crushed. I'm kind of cold."

He pushed me lightly backwards onto the bed. "Just relax, all right? I'm sorry. This was all my fault."

"You brought the glacier down?"

"No, that was Master Gallia. I didn't stop her in time and I didn't reach you in time to save you. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." he whispered, shaking his head.

"Anakin, I'm alive. I'm fine. There's nothing you should be sorry for. Did we at least capture Master Gallia?"

He looked up at me and sighed. "I killed her."

My eyes widened. "Why?"

"I don't know why. I had the impulse to do it and I did it. I didn't mean to..."

He was emotionally beating himself up. I touched his face and brought him closer to me. I pulled him onto the bed so he was lying beside me. I cuddled up into his chest.

"You saved me. I could have died if you hadn't arrived when you did. I love you, Anakin."

I looked at him to see his eyes close. "I love you, too. I wish I could have gotten there sooner..."

We laid here for a while before he realized that someone might come in. He slowly got up off of the bed. He muttered something about a report... I'm assuming he was talking about giving his report to the Council.

I stood up from the bed, only to fall forward. Luckily, Anakin caught me before I hit the ground. "What are you doing?"

I smiled up at him. "Getting your attention."

He sighed and shook his head before smiling at me. "Well, it's working. We have to give our report to the Council soon. Just let me know when you're ready."

"I'm ready now."

"You can't even stand properly."

"Then support me, Master."

He smirked and sighed. "Fine."

I leaned against his arm and we walked out of the medical bay. He got us to the Council chambers. He stopped outside of the door, intimidated.

I placed my hand in his. "It'll be okay."

"I sure hope so," he replied.

He sighed and pushed the doors open. We began to enter.


	18. The Departure

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Anakin and I stood in the center of the Council chambers. I found it comforting that Anakin was intimidated by the members sitting around us. I was always intimidated and still am.

"Skywalker, Padawan Tano," Master Windu greeted.

We both bowed. Anakin replied, "Master Windu."

I learned that it was best for me not to say anything until I was required to. I was here for support on Anakin's behalf. He needed me to be here beside him so he could make it through this.

"Give us your report."

"We tracked Master Gallia to Orto Plutonia. She was there. We were ambushed by a squadron of droids. We defeated them on the account of an avalanche taking place. Ahsoka was almost... killed by it."

"You're leaving out a key point in this report, Skywalker. Where is Master Gallia? Did she escape?"

I looked up at him. His uneasiness was beginning to ease into me. His eyes closed and he frowned. "No. Master Gallia didn't make it off of the planet alive."

"Was she killed in the avalanche?"

"No. She was killed by my lightsaber. She signaled for the avalanche to occur. She lured me away from Master Kenobi and Ahsoka. I left them defenseless and killed her without thinking of the consequences."

I watched as the Council members shifted in their seats. I could feel the disturbance in the room. There was no peace right now. They were deeply upset to hear that Anakin had slain a fellow Jedi.

"You're right," Master Windu breathed. "You killed her without thinking about the consequences. You are temporarily on leave. Padawan Tano is now under the apprenticeship of Master Kenobi."

"What?" Anakin blurted. "You're taking my padawan away from me? You can't do this!"

Master Windu glared at him. "We can and we have. Padawan Tano, you will now be rooming with Master Kenobi. Skywalker is too reckless to remain your master. Many lives are at risk because of him."

I could feel Anakin's rage building up beyond what it had before. I watched him clench his fists and his jaw tighten. His eyes held an eternal glare with Master Windu's.

"Skywalker, you are dismissed."

He didn't move. I saw his hand twitch toward his lightsaber. I pretended to fall over, causing Anakin to catch me. The members of the Council grew concerned for a moment. Anakin helped me back into a standing position.

"Are you feeling well, Padawan Tano?"

"No," I replied, placing my hand on my forehead. "I'm feeling very lightheaded."

Master Windu sighed. "Skywalker, escort her to Master Kenobi's quarters and then you are on leave. You can remain in the temple, but you are not going to be given any missions for a short duration."

I held onto Anakin as we left the chambers. I heard him breathing in and out, muttering something to himself.

"Anakin, are you all right?"

"No. I am far, very far, from being all right."

I was beginning to tear up. I hate it when he's angry. He's never as open...

"Where... are you going to go?"

"I don't know," he replied angrily. He paused, holding me at his side. "I'm going to Tatooine."

"Why?"

"I need to."

"Can I come with you?"

"No, you can't," he replied, looking away from me. "I'd take you, but I don't want you to see me when I'm there. You're Obi-Wan's padawan now. I can't take you anyway."

"I'll sneak out. Just please, let me go with you."

"I just told you..." he sighed. "Ahsoka, there's just something I need to do and it hurts to think about it. I don't want you to be there when I'm hurting."

"How long do you plan on being gone?"

He shrugged. "A few days."

I hugged him tightly, hurting myself, but I didn't care. I wanted to hold him and breathe in his scent. I wanted to keep him with me.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my montral. "Let's get your things out of the room..."

He pulled away from me and we walked to our quarters. We entered and I looked at my bed for maybe the last time. This wasn't going to be my bed anymore. I picked up the few possessions that I had when I came to the temple and threw them into a box that Anakin set beside me.

He sat on his bed, holding his head in his hands. He was staring down at the floor and his body was shaking slightly.

I felt so bad for allowing this to happen. If I had stayed with him, he wouldn't have killed Master Gallia and I wouldn't have been near death because of an avalanche.

I got off of the floor and sat beside him. I leaned against his left arm and closed my eyes. "Anakin, I don't know how long it will be before we see each other again."

"I'll be back."

"Love me one last time before you leave."

He lifted his head to stare at me. There were tears forming in his eyes and his expression was a pained one. I had a hard time keeping myself from crying.

I slowly leaned back on his bed, inviting him to get on top of me. I began to unbuckle my belt. He sighed and breathed in slowly.

He turned on his side and began to help me undress myself and then he did the same. He started off by slowly, but lovingly kissing me. He stroked my lekku lightly.

"I love you, Ahsoka," he whispered into my neck.

I moaned. "I love you, too, Anakin."

And for the last time for who knows how long, Anakin Skywalker made love to me.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I carried Ahsoka into Obi-Wan's room. I hated him for taking her from me. I don't even know if that was his doing. Knowing him, probably. I placed her on the bed that used to be mine when I was his padawan.

It took everything in me to leave her alone for a few minutes. I went back into my room and grabbed her box of things. She would probably begin unpacking them later. Before I left the room, I went over to my bed and pulled my own box out from under it.

I had several things in here from my childhood. That had been the part of my life that I wanted to hold onto. I pulled out the Japor Snippet that I had made as a good luck charm. I had given it to Padme, but I took it back eventually. I figured maybe this would be better somewhere else. It had just been a feeling back then.

I smiled, remembering how I had carved it. It was time to part with it for good. I put it in Ahsoka's box, hoping that she'd find it later. I picked up her box and went to Obi-Wan's room. I placed the box beside her bed. I looked at her one last time. Her sleeping form was peaceful. It was a good way for me to go.

This was the last time Ahsoka would see me.

As much as it hurt to leave, this is what I had to do. The Council didn't respect me, nor did Obi-Wan. By remaining on Coruscant or in the Jedi temple, I was only hurting myself and Ahsoka. I didn't care about hurting myself. I just didn't want to put Ahsoka through this anymore.

I was considering leaving a note for her, but Obi-Wan might find it when he comes in. The last thing I need is for him to read it...

I kissed Ahsoka's cheek lightly and walked out as silently as I could. It was a good thing that she had fallen asleep after earlier. It made leaving easier.

I went into my room and grabbed my own box. Whoever inhabited this room next would love that I kept it so clean. Nothing was out of order and everything had been washed.

I carried the box to the door and waited the second that it took for it to slide open. I turned around, taking in the scene of my empty quarters. Ahsoka wouldn't be here with me anymore, so I decided it was time to pack up and move on.

Yes, I told Ahsoka where I would be going. Tatooine was a big dust ball. She'd have a hard time locating me. I would probably stay with my step-brother for a while and then try to find a place of my own.

I sighed and looked around. There had been so many memories in this room alone. I looked at Ahsoka's bed and saw the first time I slept next to her. I turned to the refresher and remembered every single prank she'd pulled on me when I'd walked in or out of it. I smiled at those memories. Soap on the floor, overflowing bathtub, tripping over my pilot helmet...

Yes, each experience had been painful in its own way, but they were humorous. It was the side of Ahsoka that I loved.

The last thing I looked at was my bed. That memory had been made recently. I was going to miss this room. I was going to miss Ahsoka.

I smiled weakly and turned around, leaving what held everything I'd cherished since I became a Jedi Knight.

I walked out into the hallways, passing every one of my fellow Jedi from younglings to Masters. I didn't look at anyone. I faced forward and pushed my feet to move. There was no turning back from this point on. Everything I do will be in a straight line. I'll keep moving forward.

I went into the landing bay where my golden starfighter was located. The cockpit opened up for me and I jumped in. I didn't need Artoo with me for this one. There wasn't going to be a return scene. This was the official goodbye scene, but there were no tears and no hugs or kisses. This was just me going out alone.

I sat in the cockpit for a few moments, trying to picture myself being happy without Ahsoka. I couldn't picture anything. My mind was blank. I wasn't going to be happy...

"Anakin."

I blinked and looked up to see my old master. "What?"

"Where are you going? Your room is empty."

"I'll be back."

"Is this it?"

I sighed to myself and looked down. Like I'd said, there won't be a return scene. "This is it."

He frowned deeply at me. "She needs you, Anakin. I need you. I know I've hurt you emotionally and physically, but I love you like a brother. You are my brother."

"You're her master now. Teach her how to wield the Force properly. I hope she turns out better than I did. Obi-Wan, the way I am isn't because of you. Your training was brilliant. I'm too wild and outgoing to go by the rules or think straight at the right time."

"I don't care how reckless you are. Ahsoka looks up to you. You inspire her. I can tell each time she looks at you. She's in such awe and I can tell why. You're strong and skilled. It looks like you've got a little sister to look after."

I half smiled at him. "I love her, but I can't stay here. Everything I do hurts her. I mean, look. We went to Orto Plutonia to capture Gallia. I killed Gallia and Ahsoka almost died in the process. It was a failed mission altogether. The Council doesn't want me here. Obi-Wan, you're older and wiser. You need to look after her. Do it for me, please."

"I won't have to look after her long. You'll be back."

If only he knew how wrong he was. I wasn't coming back. I was going to stay on Tatooine.

I sighed and nodded. If I just nod, maybe he'll leave me alone. No, maybe he'd come closer to me and sit on the wing of my starfighter.

"You're going to come back, Anakin. I know you're attached to her. You were right about Satine and I. I want to say that I'm sorry for attacking you. Your cheek is bruised, but at least your mouth is looking better."

I glared at him. "So go tell the Council to officially kick me out."

"I don't care if you form an attachment to her, Anakin. Just... don't hurt her. She looks up to you."

"I have to go, Obi-Wan."

He chuckled lightly. "All right. I won't hold you up any longer. Go wherever you were heading. Just come back soon. Keep in touch, okay?"

"Sure. Just get off of the wing or I'll have to take you with me."

He laughed and jumped off. I closed the cockpit and he waved. I waved back and flew out of the bay. I turned around briefly to watch my retreat from another part of my life. I was leaving behind a person I loved and others who I was close to, but I was leaving people who didn't respect me or want me around.


	19. Broken

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up and yawned. The bed I was laying on felt comfortable, but extremely cold. I raised my head and looked around. This wasn't my room.

"Anakin?" I called out. I jumped off of the bed and ran into the refresher. This was definitely not our room.

The door whooshed open and Master Kenobi walked in. "Hello, Ahsoka."

"Hello, Master Kenobi. Where is Ana – Master Skywalker?"

"He just left ten minutes ago."

"Left? The room?"

"Coruscant. I don't know where he's going, but he'll come back. I apologized to him."

I jumped off of the bed and tripped over my box of things. _Anakin. _I began rummaging through it, searching for my comlink. I finally found it and entered Anakin's frequency code. I was desperately hoping that he'd answer it.

"_Skywalker._"

"Anakin," I breathed.

"_Ahsoka? What are you doing up?_"

"Why did you leave?" I cried out. I was very aware of Master Kenobi standing in the room, but I didn't care. I began to cry. He left without saying goodbye.

"_I told you that I was leaving._"

"You didn't even say goodbye. When are you coming back?"

"_I gave you my goodbye earlier..._"

"When are you coming back, Anakin?"

He wasn't replying. I heard him breathing on the other end, but he wasn't speaking.

"Talk to me, Anakin!"

"_I'm not coming back._"

"What?" I asked, more tears falling from my eyes. My voice began to sound pained. He told me himself that he'd come back. He said he'd only be gone for a few days.

"_I'm gone for good, Ahsoka. This is the last time you'll hear from me._"

"Anakin, no... please..." I begged, my body shaking as I sobbed. "You... you have to come back..."

"_I'm sorry, Ahsoka. I can't. I can't hurt you. I can't watch you suffer because of me. I've already put you through enough._"

"I... I thought you were different. You just left me alone. How could you do this? I thought you cared."

"_Ahsoka,_" he snapped. "_I do care. That is exactly the reason why I left. I love you. I love you too much to stand by and watch you cry. I don't want to make you cry. Do yourself a favor. End this transmission and go back to sleep. Forget about me. It will be like I never existed._"

"No... no... Anakin..." I gasped. I clutched my chest that was now beginning to ache. My heart and body longed for Anakin. I needed him here. I realized that I needed him to survive...

"_Goodbye, Ahsoka. I love you._"

"Anakin, no!" I yelled too late. He ended the transmission.

I fell to the floor beside my new bed. I collapsed into a sitting position, pulling my knees up to my chest and laying my head on them. The sobs came at will.

"Ahsoka, I am so sorry..." Master Kenobi whispered, resting his hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at him as he knelt in front of me. "We'll get him back. I promise. I'm not going to let him runaway and cause you this much pain."

I wiped my tears away and didn't trust my voice. "How... how are we... going to get... him back? He's... he's... gone..."

"Did he give you any indication of where he'd be going?"

"He... he said... Tatooine..."

"We're going to get him, but for now, please rest. You need to relax. Everything that's happened has put you under a lot of stress. I'm very sorry."

"Master... Master Kenobi... are you okay... with my feelings... for him?"

The sobs were still uncontrollable. I was too depressed to care about the way I sounded right now. I was stuttering in my words and shaking.

"Yes."

I relaxed and laid my head back onto my knees. Master Kenobi sat beside me, trying to comfort me for a while. This was going to take some getting used to. I had been used to Anakin holding me when I'd cried before. These two men were very different. Anakin was the type to physically comfort, where Master Kenobi's presence comforted me.

"I... I can't... believe he left me..."

"Don't worry about it, Ahsoka. You did nothing wrong. It was him. He's having a lot of trouble dealing with the way he feels about certain things. I know for sure that he's completely in love with you. He admitted that he formed an attachment to you."

"If he loves me, then why did he leave?" I asked, finally speaking clearly.

"He said that he doesn't want to hurt you. Has he hurt you?"

"No," I sighed. "Unless you count love as pain."

"Love. Did he...?" he trailed off. I knew what he was talking about. I was tempted to tell him that Anakin and I had made love twice. Anakin stayed with me after the first time, leaving after the second.

I sighed and nodded.

"Was he taking advantage of you and when did it happen?"

"No, Master! It was nowhere close to that. He wouldn't take advantage of me like that. It's happened twice."

"When?"

"That's kind of personal, Master..."

"Ahsoka, I think you should get checked out by a medical droid."

"Why?"

He gave me this look. I was still confused, even though it was supposed to mean something. "Just trust me. You might regret it later if you don't do it now."

I shrugged and nodded. He led me down to the medical bay. I already knew where it was, but he decided to stay close to me. What exactly did he think was going on?

As soon as we entered the room, I sat down on the medical bed, waiting for the droid. The droid came in and spoke to Master Kenobi in hushed whispers. I wanted to hear what they were saying, but clearly he didn't think I should.

The droid rolled over to me and told me to relax. I laid back on the medical bed and closed my eyes, picturing Anakin's cute half smile. I saw his handsome face as we made love before he left. I had fallen asleep so easily. I didn't think he'd be gone like this...

"The results are back," the droid announced, interrupting my day dreaming.

"Well?" Master Kenobi pushed.

"Negative."

Master Kenobi sighed and placed a hand on his chest. "Thank you. That will be all."

I got up off of the bed and walked beside Master Kenobi all the way back to our quarters. "Master, may I ask what the purpose of me getting checked up was? I didn't need to go back in for a few more months."

He looked down at me as we walked. "Ahsoka, you and Anakin participated in a very... _intimate_ activity. I wanted to make sure there was nothing wrong with you."

"What would be wrong with me?"

I felt uneasiness roll off of him. "Master, what are you getting at?"

"I thought that you might be carrying Anakin's child."

I gasped, stopping in my tracks. He raised his hands in the air. "Don't worry. It was just a thought, Ahsoka. I had you get checked up. You're fine. There is no child."

He rested a hand on my shoulder. "You're not pregnant."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I was in the ring that would allow my starfighter to jump across the galaxy. I set the coordinates in for Tatooine and jumped.

I was there within twenty minutes. The conversation Ahsoka and I had earlier had really depressed me. I hadn't expected her to wake up minutes after I flew out of the planet's atmosphere.

I piloted my starfighter down onto the planet and began the journey to my step-brother's hut. I was coming in unannounced, but he always said that I was welcome whenever I wanted to drop in. He said that the two of us should get to know each other better.

Maybe now was the time for us to talk. His girlfriend, Beru, wanted to get to know me, also. I had a feeling that those two were going to get married the last time I had visited. It wasn't a pleasant visit for me, but she loved meeting me.

I landed several yards from the hut and jumped out of the cockpit. I walked across the sand, my Jedi cloak flying behind me.

"Anakin, is that you?" Beru called out. She was working on something outside of the hut. She ran over to me and crushed me in a tight hug. "It's so good to see you again. You look great, much older now. How old are you, kid?"

I laughed. "It's nice to see you, too, Beru. I'm twenty-five now. You don't look too bad yourself. How have you been?"

"I've been pretty great. Owen and I have been here since you left. Cliegg passed away about a year ago."

"I'm so sorry."

"His grave is beside your mother's. They loved each other very deeply..."

"I could tell that he loved her. I still miss her."

"We miss her, too. Okay, dear, let's make your stay comfortable and enjoyable."

I laughed as she pulled my arm to drag me down into the hut. It looked just like it had when I left years ago. "Owen! Owen, dear, we have a guest!"

Owen came out of his bedroom and smiled widely when he saw me. "Anakin! Welcome into our home. What brings you by?"

"I missed you two. I felt that it was time to visit. How are you, Owen?"

"I'm good. Did Beru tell you the news?"

"The news?" I asked, confused.

Owen stood beside Beru and wrapped his arm around her. Beru began to blush and smile. "I'm two months pregnant."

"That's wonderful. Congratulations to you both," I replied, smiling and hugging them both.

Beru excused herself, saying that she had dinner to make. I nodded and Owen wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Let's show you to your room, little brother."

He preferred to call me his little brother so I wouldn't feel uncomfortable. We had absolutely no relation aside from the marriage of my mother to his father.

The room was plain, just like I'd hoped it would be. I didn't want anything extravagant. This is how I lived in my old home before I left to become a Jedi.

"Thank you, Owen. You have no idea how much it means to me to be welcomed by you both."

I sat down on the bed that had a layer of sand on it. It felt like home, so it didn't bother me. He sat beside me and smiled. "Like I told you before, you're always welcomed here. Beru and I love having company. So tell me, have you found yourself a lady? How about Padme, the one who came with you a few years ago?"

"I appreciate your hospitality, Owen, I truly do. Well, things didn't work out between Padme and I..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Any new girl recently?"

"Just one. She's really special..."

"What's her name? What's she like?"

"Her name is Ahsoka. She's beautiful, kind, loving, very caring... she's everything I'd ever hoped to have. There's nothing corrupt in her soul."

"I'd very much like to meet her someday."

"You might. Who knows?" I shrugged. He would probably never meet her.

He laughed. "I'm going to go help Beru in the kitchen. Make yourself at home, all right? We'll call you in when it's ready."

I nodded and thanked him as he was walking out of the room. He popped back in a minute later. "Hey, if you need to go into town, we have a speeder in the back."

"Thanks, Owen," I replied, smiling.

I laid back on the dusty bed and closed my eyes. They were more welcoming than I had expected. Maybe living here wasn't going to be so bad. I had, somehow, missed Tatooine.


	20. A Trusting Change

**POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi**

"Ahsoka, are you awake?" I whispered, tapping her arm lightly.

"Master...?" she asked, sleep deep in her voice.

"It's me. Do you want to go now? No one is awake."

"Yes," she responded quickly, jumping out of bed. She was in a light red nightgown. She ran into the refresher with her clothes, coming out a few minutes later.

I nodded at her and we silently crept out of the room, running through the Jedi temple as quietly as possible. We found the _Twilight _in the landing bay.

She ran ahead of me to begin prepping it. She was better at that than I was, being that she was Anakin's padawan. He must have taught her everything he knows about machines.

She was sitting in the pilot's seat, determination clear on her face as she flipped switches and got the ship up and running. She smiled at me and I nodded. With that, she flew the ship out of the landing bay and out of Coruscant.

She jumped into hyperspace after setting the coordinates in for Tatooine. We would be arriving in a few hours.

I decided to go into the back and rest for a while. I have been up for hours watching the Jedi who were still awake, waiting for them to go into their quarters for the night.

I allowed Ahsoka to rest while I was scouting, so while she's flying, I'm going to take a nap.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

After dinner, Beru and Owen went into their room. They closed their door and I knew what that meant. I laughed quietly to myself and crept up the stairs and out of the hut. I was going to head into town and look for some new clothes and whatnot.

I went to the back of the hut and jumped into the speeder. It was red with a black outline along the front.

The speeder raced across the sand for several minutes, giving me plenty of time to think. My thoughts wandered back to Ahsoka. My heart sank when I pictured her smiling face for the last time. I saw her sleeping on my old bed. That cute picture of her transformed into a tear-stained face. This is what I assumed she looked like while I was telling her I wasn't coming back.

All of a sudden, the speeder stopped. I sighed and jumped out. I inspected it and discovered that the engines gave out. "Great."

I knelt down to see what I could do to get it running again. I began pulling the engines out, seeing that they looked very old. How old was this thing to begin with?

"Ah, Skywalker," a voice announced. "How good it is to see you."

I slowly turned around to see an older man towering above me, his face cloaked. I'd know that voice anywhere. "Dooku."

"Where's your padawan? Oh, that's right. She has been reassigned to your old master."

"How did you – never mind. What do you want?"

"I can sense all of your emotions. Do you know how much anger and hate you're harboring right at this moment? I know about the relationship between yourself and Senator Amidala."

How did he know about that? "There is no relationship between the Senator and me any longer. I ended it. As for my emotions, I can handle them."

"They would work much better for you if you joined the Sith."

I felt my mouth form into a snarl. "I would never join you!"

"Oh?"

He ignited his lightsaber. I stood up quickly and pulled my own off of my belt, igniting it.

We charged at each other at the same time. We did the basic movements, blocking each blow. I tried to catch him off guard by throwing blows closer to his lower half, but he blocked them.

Eventually, he separated himself him the combat. "Skywalker, how does it feel to have failed your padawan?"

A load of pain began to make its way into my chest. He knew I had failed and it hurt to have him tell me that. I looked down at the sand briefly, looking back at him.

"Do you think she still loves you after all that you've done?"

All of that hurt, pain, and anger balled up in my chest. I used the Force to blow sand toward him, hoping it would delay him and cripple his movements. I managed to push him away from me slightly, but before I knew it, the sand was coming back in my direction.

I gasped for a moment before the Force of that wall hit me. I tried to push it back, but I was too slow. The force of it pushed me backwards, causing me to hit the sand and roll down a small dune. My lightsaber flew out of my hand, away from me and deactivating itself. I got up and looked back in the direction of my saber.

I quickly turned around to see Dooku lurch into the air and begin coming down at me. I instinctively pulled my lightsaber to me with the Force and activated it. I met Dooku's blow, blocking and holding it above my chest. He pushed down on me and I glared up at him.

I let my anger consume me. I growled as I pushed him up and rolled backwards. I stood up and watched him regain his footing.

"With that much anger, you would be stronger. You should consider joining us, Skywalker. You would be appreciated and respected amongst us. You could even have your padawan all to yourself. No one would interfere with your affairs as long as you remained loyal to us. You could love her without feeling guilty about disobeying the Council. There is no Council for the Sith."

I continued to glare at him. I was beginning to take his words into consideration. Would he and his master really appreciate and respect me?

"We will teach you to become stronger, become one with your anger. Love is not forbidden here."

I deactivated my lightsaber, trusting that he wouldn't attack me. He smiled his evil smile. "I see that you're thinking about it. I am telling you the truth. We will teach you new things to make you a stronger fighter. Your padawan will never have to be taken away from you. I will have my master contact you soon."

He turned around and jumped onto a speeder bike that I hadn't seen before this moment. He took off across the sand, leaving me here with my broken down speeder. I guess I'd have to walk to town and come back to repair this thing later.

I sighed and began running across the sand.

Maybe the Sith had more to offer me than the Jedi did... I don't know. If it meant that I could release my emotions, no matter what they were, and have Ahsoka beside me, then maybe it was worth it...

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

"Master, we're coming up on Tatooine now," I announced. He woke up slowly and came to sit beside me.

"Good, Ahsoka."

I watched the blue swirls of hyperspace slowly fade away as I pulled out of it. I came up on Tatooine, remembering the last time I had come here. We were rescuing Rotta, Jabba's son.

"Do you know where we should start searching for him?" I asked, turning toward him very briefly.

"We're going to Mos Eisley. It's a spaceport... Anakin might need to refuel his starfighter."

I nodded. That was very logical. He would probably have to refuel it since it had less than the _Twilight _had.

I flew into a docking area in Mos Eisley. I turned the ship off and locked the controls. The landing ramp lowered. Master Kenobi grabbed two cloaks in the back of the ship and threw me one of them. He put his on and pulled the hood up, I did the same with my own.

I could feel that Anakin was close, so could Master Kenobi. We calmly walked about the area, even though my heart was racing out of my chest. I truly wanted Anakin here with me. I wanted him beside me, holding my hand, kissing my lips.

"Ahsoka," Master Kenobi began in his warning voice. "You need to relax your emotions. Anakin might pick up on them if we get close enough."

"I want him to know that I'm here."

"We'll let him know officially in the morning. You both have had a rough night. At least we know he's here. Come now," he whispered. "We're going back to the _Twilight _for the night. I promise you, I will let you see Anakin tomorrow. As soon as I wake up, we'll leave."

As soon as you wake up, I'll be gone. What if Anakin leaves before we have the chance to talk to him?

I sighed and nodded. We both left Mos Eisley and boarded the _Twilight_, flying out into the outskirts for the night.

I fell asleep in the back on the bed, thinking so much about Anakin. I missed him and I kept replaying every kiss, every hug, and every half smile.

I smiled to myself and drifted off into sleep.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

It took a few hours, but I bought the parts I needed to repair the speeder and began working on it. Watto was happy to see me again and overjoyed to help me. He gave me the engine I needed for a _small _price, according to him.

I was now lying underneath the landspeeder, replacing the engine with the new one I just bought. I had felt a familiar presence in Mos Eisley, but I decided not to acknowledge it. I needed to get this back to Owen and Beru before they woke up...

Ah, there we go. I smiled to myself and got off of the sand. It was getting cooler, degree wise. It was normally hotter than Mustafar right now.

I got back into the speeder and headed back toward the hut. I'd been gone for a while. I got some new clothes that I'd look horrible in, but hey, this was my new life.

I parked the speeder behind the hut and got out. I silently crept down the stairs and into my room. It was extremely silent. Beru and Owen were probably asleep by now.

I entered my room, closing the door quietly and relaxed on my bed. My holoprojector began to blink. Who was trying to contact me now? If it was Ahsoka, I'd have to terminate the message...

I clicked the message on. There was a cloaked figure standing on the holoprojector. Who was this?

"Who are you?"

"_Anakin Skywalker. My apprentice has told me about your... consideration in joining our cause. What do you say?_"

"Tell me what you have to offer for me." That voice was somewhat familiar, but I couldn't place it right now.

"_I will offer you eternal power. You will be many times stronger with the Force than you are right now. I will teach you how to prevent death from occurring. I will allow you to bring your pet with you for your own pleasure._"

"She's not my pet."

"_I didn't mean to offend you. You can bring your lover along with you. What do you say to all of that?_"

"Will she be safe? If any harm comes to her..."

"_I and my apprentices will not harm the girl. We require your assistance in annihilating those who degrade you, Skywalker._"

"How am I supposed to trust you on that? I do not want her touched in any way by your apprentices."

"_You already trust me, Anakin._"

"I don't even know who you are," I replied, starting to grow frustrated. This man expected me to trust him with Ahsoka.

"_Ah, yes, this disguise covers my true identity. You already know and trust me._"

I stared at the hologram with a very confused expression. The figure began to remove his hood.

Once the hood was down, my jaw dropped. Was I really seeing this?

"Chancellor? You're the Sith Lord?"

"_Yes, my dear boy. Now that you know who I am, what do you say?_"

"I'll..." I paused, thinking for a moment. I trusted Chancellor Palpatine with my life. If I could trust him that much, then I could trust that no harm would come to Ahsoka. "I'll join you."


	21. The Disturbance

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I felt a major disturbance in the Force. It crushed down on my chest, waking me up. I screamed out in pain. Master Kenobi was by my side in a moment.

"Ahsoka, what's wrong?"

"Do... you feel that?"

"Yes. I'm sorry that it caused you that much pain. I don't know what just happened."

"It crushed me. It hurt so much..."

"I'm so sorry," he said, worried. "Try to go back to sleep. We'll figure this all out later, all right? You need to rest so we can find Anakin in the morning, all right?"

I nodded and laid back down. I could sense the worry emanating from Master Kenobi. I hadn't meant to wake him up like that. I bet he won't even go back to sleep...

There was another shift in the Force, much stronger than the last. I bit my lip to hold the cry back. I didn't want to scare Master Kenobi again.

I waited until I heard his soft snoring before I lowered the ramp and exited the ship with a fold-able speeder bike. I needed Anakin to hold me and tell me that everything would be okay. I wondered if he felt the shift that I did. Did it hurt him as much as it hurt me?

I went into Mos Eisley and walked around a bit. There had to be someone that Anakin knew. There had been something... someone. Waldo? I continued walking until I came across a Toydarian male, Watto. _Watto._

That was the guy that Anakin knew. I ran over to him. "Can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Ahsoka. I was wondering, you know who Anakin Skywalker is, right?"

"Yes," he sighed. "You looking for him?"

I nodded. "You a Jedi?"

Again, I nodded. "He's in the outskirts in a hut with his step-brother."

I smiled widely. "Thank you!"

I ran to a landspeeder shop and rented one with the few credits I was carrying around. I jumped in, placing my speeder bike in the seat next to me, and headed out to the outskirts. Anakin was out here somewhere.

All I saw was endless trails of sand that blew with the wind. I raced over several dunes, almost tipping the landspeeder several times.

I saw a moisture farmer hut in the distance. That was the first place I was going to look for him. I could sense that he was close, maybe he was inside there.

He never said anything about having a step-brother. What happened to the rest of his family?

I stopped the landspeeder a short distance from the hut. There were two graves placed in the sand. I walked around to look at them.

_Shmi Skywalker. _"Who is this?"

"That would be my mother."

I turned around quickly to see Anakin, pain on his face. "Anakin, I'm so sorry..."

He ran to me and wrapped me in his arms. He kissed my neck and lekku, running his hands up and down my back.

"When did you get out here?"

"Earlier today. Anakin, I'm broken without you. I need you."

He kissed my lips slowly and passionately. "I need you, too. I didn't want to... hurt you anymore, Ahsoka. I love you. I always have."

"Do you know how hurt I was when Master Kenobi told me that you were gone? Anakin, it was too much. I broke down and cried for a long time. I wanted you with me so much. I don't care if you're my master or not. I want you to stay with me."

"Let's get away from here, Ahsoka. We can leave and never look back."

"What about being a Jedi?"

"We can leave that behind us. I have something better for us both."

"You do?"

The disturbance came back again, going directly to my heart. I cried out in pain. What was happening? I fell to my knees. Anakin was at my side in a flash, holding me close to him. "What's wrong, Ahsoka?"

"You don't feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"There was a great disturbance in the Force just now..."

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"There was a great disturbance in the Force just now," she gasped.

I pulled back from her and stared off into the distance. I wouldn't feel that disturbance because I was the cause of it. My turn to the dark side must be causing it. It was hurting her...

"Anakin, how did you not feel that?"

I looked down. "I'm not a Jedi."

"What? What are you talking about? You've always been a Jedi."

"I was. Ahsoka, this is what I was trying to tell you. I've found something better, something stronger..."

"No," she whispered. "You... betrayed the Jedi?"

I closed my eyes for a moment. I opened them to lock with hers, staring intensely into them. "They betrayed me, Ahsoka. I'm going to keep us safe, the Sith Lord said that you'd be safe."

"I can't do this, Anakin. I don't want to join them."

"I wasn't telling you to join them!" I yelled. "I just want you with me! He told me that I would become stronger! He told me that you wouldn't be harmed."

"How do you trust this man? Do you know what he's done to the Jedi and the Republic?"

"He's the Chancellor!"

Her eyes widened and her mouth opened. "What?"

"Chancellor Palpatine is the Sith Lord, Ahsoka. I trust him with my life. He won't hurt you, neither will Dooku."

"I... I can't do this, Anakin."

She backed away from me, pain clear on her face. "Ahsoka, please. I promise they won't hurt you. You're going to be safe with me. Nothing will hurt you. I need you."

She bit her lip and looked away from my eyes. I could tell that she was thinking about it. I didn't want to push her into coming with me, but I really did need her. Coming to Tatooine without her hurt. I didn't want to switch sides and not have her by my side. "What if it came to the point where you and I were face to face in battle? What would you do, Ahsoka?"

"Fine," she sighed, crying. "I'll go with you. I can't fight you. I love you."

She jumped into my chest, wrapping her arms around my waist. "I love you too much to leave you again, Anakin."

I hugged her tightly, never wanting to release her. She cried into my chest, her sobbing was beginning to influence me.

"Ahsoka," I whispered.

I heard her vaguely answer me, but the crying messed up her voice. "I love you so much. I never wanted to hurt you or make you cry. I just don't want to leave you behind like I did already."

She lifted her head to smile at me. Her hands touched the sides of my face and ran through my hair. "I'm not going to leave you, Anakin. The only way I'll leave you is if someone drags me out, but I won't let them."

I smiled and kissed her lightly. "No one will drag you away. It's freezing out here. Do you want to come in?"

She nodded and cuddled up against me. I took that as her wanting me to carry her into the hut. I laughed lightly and picked her up bridal style. I saw her smile and I laughed again. "You're adorable."

"I try," she whispered. She didn't have to try. She was naturally adorable.

I took her into the room that I was staying in and placed her on the bed. I was about to lie down on the floor, but Ahsoka stopped me. "What are you doing?"

"Letting you sleep on the bed."

"Get up here right now," she snarled.

I have to admit. The look on her face scared me for a few moments, but I knew that she wanted me to stay beside her at all times. I crawled up onto the bed and laid beside her. She rested her hand on my chest and laid her head beside my own.

I wrapped my left arm around her body, pulling her closer to me. I wrapped us both in the heavy blanket. It was nice and warm then.

"Anakin?" she whispered.

"Mm?"

"Can we... you know?"

"Can we do what?" I asked, drifting off into sleep.

"Can you make love to me?"

"I'm... tired..." I said, yawning.

I felt her side of the bed rise. That was only for a moment. "Ow, Ahsoka!"

She jumped on me, her legs at my sides and her hands on my chest. "Wake up, old man."

"Hey!"

She smiled widely and began to tickle me. I couldn't help the laughter that escaped my mouth. I was trying to be as quiet as possible, but Ahsoka made that difficult. She pressed her lips against mine, begging me to make love to her.

I truly was tired. A lot had happened today and I only got a little bit of sleep. I sighed and tackled her. I pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her.

"So you want to play, young lady?"

She giggled and smiled. I saw her nod a few times. I bent down and began kissing her neck and lekku.

"Anakin? Is everything all right in there?"

"Beru," I whispered.

"Who?" Ahsoka whispered back.

"My step-brother's girlfriend."

"Anakin?" she called out again, knocking on the door.

"I'm good, Beru. Sorry."

"Is someone in there with you?"

Ahsoka giggled again. "Yes. We'll be quieter."

I heard Beru chuckle on the opposite side of the door before she walked away. I turned my attention back to Ahsoka and smirked at her. "Nice. I'm going to get kicked out early."

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning up to kiss me.

We kissed for several minutes before I finally gave in and made love to her. Afterward, we were both exhausted and passed out on the bed. It felt nice to have Ahsoka sleeping next to me.

**The next morning.**

I woke up in a sweat. I had my nightmare again, but this time I felt like it was going to happen. If it did, then it would very soon.

I turned on my side and saw that Ahsoka wasn't there. I jumped off of the bed, dressing myself quickly. Had last night really happened?

I walked out into the kitchen and heard Beru laughing. "I see why Anakin loves you. You're a beautiful young lady, inside and out."

Ahsoka was really here. I sighed in relief and walked into the kitchen. I sat down beside Ahsoka, greeting everyone.

"Good morning," Ahsoka whispered, kissing me lightly. I smiled against her kiss as I returned it.

I heard Beru express a sigh of content. I could feel her happiness emanating from her. It was like a large ocean in the room. Owen wasn't paying attention to us. He was working on the food right now, supposedly.

I pulled back slowly from her and turned to my step-brother and Beru. "What are we having?"

"Ah, the basics," Owen replied. "Eggs..."

"That sounds great," I replied, smiling.

Owen laughed and went back to work. Beru asked Ahsoka if she had anything to live off of while she was here. She said that she probably wasn't staying long. Beru insisted that Ahsoka live with us for the duration of our stay. Ahsoka gave in eventually and I laughed.

We ate our breakfast in peaceful silence. Ahsoka and I had our fingers intertwined beneath the table. She and I were not looking forward to being split up again.


	22. Fulfilling the Nightmare

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"I completely forgot about Master Kenobi!" Ahsoka suddenly exclaimed. There had been a peaceful silence hanging in the room until her outburst.

"He's here?"

"Yeah. He brought me out here to help me look for you."

My eyes closed and I leaned back onto the pillow, turning away from her. "What's wrong, Anakin?"

"I didn't know he was here. I thought you came alone. He can't see me. Do you know what he'll do to me when he finds out about what I've done?"

"Anakin, let's get out of here. Where are you supposed to meet the Sith Lord?"

"I don't know. He never told me where to go."

Unexpectedly, both of our comlinks began beeping. "Uh..."

I sat up and got off of the bed, she did the same. We both went to a different end of the room.

"Skywalker," I replied.

I heard Ahsoka whisper her name into the comlink.

"_Ah, so good it is to hear from you, Anakin,_" Palpatine said. "_Have you left Tatooine yet?_"

"No. I'm still here."

"_Good. Do you know where the abandoned temple is in the outskirts?_"

"Of course. Why?"

"_You and Ahsoka must come there. I have an assignment for you._"

"An assignment already?"

"_Yes. It is very important._"

"All right. We'll be there shortly."

"_Until then._"

I closed the link and turned around to watch Ahsoka. She was speaking quietly with whoever was on the other end. She said something quickly and ended the transmission.

"It was Master Kenobi."

"What did he want?" I asked, moving close to hold her.

"He wanted to know where I was. I told him not to come looking for me."

"Oh. Well, Ahsoka, we need to leave. There's a temple that Palpatine wants us to go to."

She looked like she didn't want to leave, but she nodded. I walked out of the room. Beru and Owen must be in their room. I motioned for her to be quiet as we crept out of the hut.

The landspeeder that she had used to get here was still parked. I jumped into the driver's seat, her in the passenger. We raced across the sand that was rolling with the wind. I could see the temple in view. It looked pretty old, but a decent spot for a hideout of some sort.

I pulled up at the base of the temple and stared into the sky. "It appears that we might have to climb it, Ahsoka..."

She gave me this look that clearly showed she wasn't interested in climbing this. I sighed and shrugged. "Do you want me to carry you up there?"

She laughed. "Would you really?"

"Why not? I want you to come with me and you aren't doing this yourself."

She continued to laugh and I stared at her in seriousness. She thought I was kidding, but I would really carry her up there if that's what it took. "I'm not kidding, Ahsoka."

"Oh," she whispered. She climbed out of the landspeeder at the same time as me. I stood close to the base looking for rocks to grab onto. I looked up and found the path that I would take to get there.

I felt her hands rest on my back. I put my arms behind my back and pulled her up. Her chest was against my back, arms around my neck, and legs wrapped around my waist. She rested her head on mine and kissed my hair. I smiled and began grabbing at the rocks that jutted out.

It took several minutes because Ahsoka kept screaming at me for almost letting go a few times. It was just a little bit of fun to pass the time for me, but she didn't appreciate it.

We reached the top of the temple. It was a flat surface that looked almost empty. There was a cave entrance on the left. I was about to put Ahsoka down, but she held onto me tighter.

"You like it back there, Snips?" I asked, teasing her.

"Mhm," she sighed. She kissed my hair again and reached her hand down to touch my chest as best as she could.

I held onto her legs, pulling them closer to my waist. I began walking toward the entrance.

"Ah, Anakin," Palpatine greeted. He was clad in a dark robe with his hood up.

I bowed my head in respect. When I looked up at him, he was staring at Ahsoka with intense fascination. "Welcome, Ahsoka. You will be safe here."

She leaned her chin on my head and rested there. I continued to carry her on my back into the cave. There were several rooms in here. I saw a sparring room where Dooku and Ventress were.

Ahsoka stared around and I felt her fear rising. "Relax," I whispered.

Palpatine showed us to our room before he went back to whatever he had been doing before we arrived. I put Ahsoka down on the bed, sitting on the edge. She pulled me down to rest on her legs.

"I'm afraid."

"I understand," I whispered. "I'm sorry that you're scared, but you're safe with me, okay? They aren't allowed to touch you. If I find out that they did, I will kill them without feeling guilty."

She leaned down and kissed me. I smiled against her lips. Once she pulled back, I stared up at her. "Anakin, you're not meant to be a Sith. Listen to yourself. You're too kind and caring to oppose the Jedi."

"Ahsoka,"I said, sighing.

Before I could finish what I wanted to tell her, Palpatine walked in. "Anakin, you need to come with me."

Ahsoka's fear rose again and I sat up, hugging her tightly. "You'll be all right. If anything happens to you, you are to call for me immediately."

I kissed her before I walked out with Palpatine. He led me around the temple a bit, walking in silence. "You have a mission for me?"

He laughed. "Ah, yes. Your mission is labeled Order 66. It is to annihilate the Jedi. You are to go to Coruscant and clear the temple of their scourge."

"Yes, Master."

He was about to walk away, but turned back to me. "Do you pledge your allegiance to me?"

"Yes."

He motioned for me to kneel and I did just that, slightly afraid of what he was going to do. He whispered. "You will now be known as... Darth Vader."

I looked up at him. I was just given a title of the Sith.

"Rise, Lord Vader," he said slowly, smiling.

I rose and he motioned for me to be on my way. He pointed toward a landing bay. Did he have a ship prepared for me?

I decided to tell Ahsoka that I needed to go somewhere first. As I neared the door, I heard Ahsoka talking.

"No, Master. He's fine. Don't worry about him."

"_You're hiding something from me. I can tell._"

"I... I need to go," she said sadly.

I heard her comlink turn off and the springs on the bed as she laid down. I entered the room and she sat up. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes. He gave me my first mission. I have to go..."

She looked down and frowned. "Ahsoka," I whispered, moving closer to her. I kissed her lips softly. "I'll be back soon, okay?

I lifted her face to meet her eyes. They were full of sadness. I didn't want to leave her, but I couldn't take her with me. "I love you," I whispered slowly, emphasizing on the 'you.'

"I love you, too. Come back to me in one piece, all right?"

"I'll send you my heart. It's yours."

She laughed quietly, resulting in me kissing her. "I know what you mean, Snips. I'll come back to you in one piece, but should I explode, I'm having my heart placed in a box and sent to you."

"Don't explode. I don't want to look at your heart for the rest of my life. I'd rather look at you while you're breathing."

I laughed and kissed her once last time. "I love you. I'll be back soon. Contact me if you need me, okay?"

She nodded and smiled weakly at me. She motioned for me to get out of here. I smiled as she covered herself up on the bed and began to drift off into sleep.

I went back to that landing bay that I had seen not too long ago. I looked around for a ship that would be flyable. The first thing I saw was a golden mass. My eyes widened when I saw my starfighter. How did that get here?

I shrugged and ran over to it. I hopped in and set the coordinates in for Coruscant. I was to kill everyone and everything that moved in the Jedi temple. This is were my revenge began. I hoped Master Windu was around...

After I left Tatooine's atmosphere, I went into my ring to jump to Coruscant. I was there minutes later.

I looked down to see the planet and began flying toward it. As I got closer, I saw that everything looked normal.

I landed outside of the Jedi temple, pulling my hood up. I looked to my left and saw several large groups of clones heading my way. My hand twitched toward my lightsaber.

"Lord Vader, we are at your service."

What? The clones were betraying the Jedi, too? Palpatine must have done some mass Jedi mind trick to get them to listen.

I nodded and motioned for them to follow me. I led them up the stairs of the temple and once we entered, we began... cleaning it up.

I ran my lightsaber through several of the Jedi, ones who put up a fight were harder to kill. The clones made it easy. They began burning everything in the temple, burning it to the ground in a sense. It wouldn't come down easily though.

Blaster shots were all around me. I saw people, but not their faces. They were running and screaming in terror. I looked down at my hand, seeing my mechanical piece covered in black. I closed my eyes, opening them when I felt my rage build up.

_This was my nightmare._

Ahsoka was right. It had been a premonition and now it was becoming reality. I felt my eyes change, they were possibly the yellowish color of a Sith. I would look later... I was busy right now.

I charged through the temple, killing everything that stood in my way until I reached the Council chambers. I dreaded coming here because I could sense all of the small lifeforms hidden inside. These were innocent children, but they would grow up to become Jedi who would hunt me down someday.

The clones were standing at the sides of the doors, waiting for me to give them the order to execute all of them. I told them to find others and destroy them. I entered the chamber alone.

"Master Skywalker," one child bravely announced. I looked at him darkly. All of the children were cowering behind the Council member seats.

I felt my heart sink as I realized that these children weren't going to live their life like I would. I let all of my remorse flood out of me as I ignited my lightsaber. The child jumped back in fear. None of them would be afraid much longer.

I slowly walked toward them. Right now, I was as emotionless as a droid. I would kill without guilt or regret. With several swings, I had massacred everything in the room.

I left after I had completed my part. I went through the rest of the temple, searching for Windu. He was mine.

I would make him beg for mercy before I killed him with my azure blade.


	23. A Greater Disturbance

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

My heart was crumbling. There was a massive disturbance in the Force. I felt like I was being kicked from the inside of my chest. I clutched at it, hoping that the immense amount of pain would drift away soon.

It felt like so many souls were being ripped apart. What was happening in the Force that caused this much death?

I decided that I would contact Anakin. He told me to contact him if I needed him. Right now, I really need him. I used my comlink and locked into his frequency.

"_Skywalker_," came his usual response.

"Anakin... what..." I cried out in pain as more deaths crushed down on me.

"_Ahsoka! What's wrong? Are they hurting you?_"

"No..." I gasped. "It's... the Force..."

"_Ahsoka, I am so sorry..._"

"For... what...?"

"_My mission. It was to... kill the Jedi..._"

I began to cry because there was so much pain. I felt the Force fading into nothingness. Anakin's turn to the dark side was causing this pain. "Come... back... please..." I gasped again.

"_Ahsoka, I'm so sorry... so sorry..._"

I kept hearing him repeat that he was sorry, but that was because I was beginning to lose consciousness. My eyes closed and blackness took over me.

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Ahsoka! Ahsoka, come in!"

I could hear static on her end. Something was happening to her, aside from what I was doing now. If I killed Windu, I could leave. I just needed my own satisfaction...

I sensed a powerful force behind a door that I was about to pass by. I turned toward it and focused on the Force signature. It was Master Windu.

I blew the door open with my Force ability and walked slowly into the room, pulling out my lightsaber.

"Anakin," he sighed in relief. "It's good to see that I'm not the only survivor. I've been trying to contact anyone inside the temple."

"Oh, so it's good to see me now that you're the last Jedi alive? How pleasant of you to say that before I kill you."

"Kill me? What has gotten into you?"

"I've joined the Sith," I said, laughing. "They're going to make me stronger. My anger and my rage toward you have made me stronger already. I feel invincible. I feel that I can defeat you."

"Why would you defeat me? What have I done so wrong to warrant this?"

I laughed again, feeling myself frown. "What have you done so wrong? What haven't you done so wrong? You've treated me like I was nothing. I know I'm not the least reckless Jedi in the order like you, but I was powerful and willing to serve. Once you began to disrespect me how many years ago, I came to disliking you. I thought that maybe someday I would earn your respect. It's been almost twenty years and you still resent me! What have _I _done to _you_, Master Windu?"

"You don't follow orders and you get many of your own men killed! Am I supposed to respect a murderer?"

"For the record and before I kill you, I never liked you, Windu. Not even in the slightest bit."

I activated my lightsaber and began to engage in combat with him. He came at me like he had planned this long ago. I had a feeling that he might have.

"Skywalker... why would you... turn against the Jedi? Why... not just kill me?"

"You're high ...in the council. Killing you... would be too easy."

"You aren't going to kill me, Skywalker," he replied, forcing me to back up. I wasn't about to let him gain the upper hand in this duel.

I waited for him to be completely distracted. "Skywalker –"

I cried out in anger and sliced his hands off. I ran him through with my lightsaber. I watched him gasp for breath, though none would come to him. He looked up to meet my eyes.

"I... never... cared... about... you..."

"Die," I whispered.

"Take... care... of... Ahsoka..."

"What?" I asked. That had been unexpected. How did he know about Ahsoka and I?

"You're... killing..." he finally fell to the floor. The thing was, I wanted to hear what he had to say. Who was I killing?

_Ahsoka. _I had gotten my revenge. I pulled my lightsaber out of his body, deactivating it and clipping it to my belt. I ran out of the room and made my way back to my starfighter.

Hang on, Ahsoka...

I jumped directly into the cockpit. It was a good thing that I left the canopy open. I locked in the coordinates for the temple on Tatooine. I flew back out into the atmosphere and locked my starfighter in the hyperspace ring. I jumped after securing myself.

I was now orbiting Tatooine. I flew down into the planet, heading for the surface. I flew toward the temple. Once I arrived, I landed.

I jumped out of the cockpit and ran into the room I left Ahsoka in. The door slid open and the first thing I saw was Ahsoka lying on the floor.

"No, no, no..."

I picked her up and laid her head against my chest. "Come on, wake up!"

I tried to wake her up, but nothing happened. I felt her breathing pick up. "Ahsoka!"

Her eyes snapped open and she shot up, leaning away from me. She clutched her face in her hands and began to cry.

"Ahsoka," I whispered, pulling her back to me.

She hit my arm. "How could you do this, Anakin?"

"I had to."

"You killed all of the Jedi because this Sith Lord told you to?"

"I didn't kill all of the Jedi, Ahsoka. You're still alive."

"And that's only because you love me! If you didn't, I would be dead like the rest of them. What about Master Kenobi?"

"If I didn't love you, I never would have become a Sith. He offered this to me so I could keep us together and protect you. As for Obi-Wan, I have no idea what's happened to him, if anything. Do you think he's still here?"

"I'm not sure," she sighed, looking away from me. "Do you think I should contact him?"

"There's nothing you can do but try. That try might be worth it."

She got up and went over to grab her comlink off of a nightstand. I remained seated on the floor, not wanting to upset her anymore tonight. She hit some buttons and eventually said, "Master Kenobi, come in. Are you all right?"

"_Ahsoka,_" static began to interfere with the transmission. "_Fine... are you...?_"

"Master, you've got a lot of static covering over your voice. I can't hear you that well."

He kept saying several different things, but nothing was working. She couldn't hear him that well and began to grow frustrated. Eventually, she did sigh in frustration and throw the comlink away from her.

I got up slowly, watching her reaction. She walked over to me without a second thought and wrapped her arms around me. She leaned into my chest and began to cry. I rubbed her back and kissed her lekku to try to calm her down.

Eventually, she did. I picked her up and put her on the bed. I covered her up and kissed her forehead. "Ahsoka, get some rest. You really look like you need it, especially after all of the mental hurt you've faced today. I love you."

Her eyes began to open and close slowly. She was trying to stay awake, but she was really tired. "I'm.. fine..." she sighed, turning onto her side.

I smiled and laid beside her. I watched her breathe for several minutes before I got back off of the bed. I pulled my comlink out and hit Obi-Wan's frequency.

"_Kenobi._"

"This is Skywalker."

"_Anakin! Where are you?_"

"Master, please quiet down. I just got Ahsoka to go to bed. We're fine. How about you?"

"_I'm fine. Did you two feel that disturbance earlier? It was almost unbearable. Ahsoka is extremely sensitive to the Force. How is she doing?_"

"Yeah, we felt it. She's fine now that she's sleeping and that there's nothing going on. I had no idea that she was that sensitive. Why wasn't I told this before I found out firsthand how much pain it caused her?"

"_I apologize for that. That was something I was supposed to tell you. With all of the missions we've had, I must have lost it somewhere..._"

"Clearly," I muttered.

"_Anakin, can you bring her to Mos Eisley? I'll pick you both up there._"

I bit my lip. How was I going to explain that neither of us were leaving this planet. I couldn't because I'd joined the Sith and Ahsoka wouldn't leave me.

"I'll ask her when she wakes up, all right? I have to go. I'm going to check on Ahsoka, you know, make sure she's fine. I'll... see you later, Master."

"_That sounds fine. Just let me know what you two plan on doing to get out of this dust ball. Go check on her. I'll talk to you later._"

I clicked the transmission off. I got back on the bed and covered myself, turning to face Ahsoka's back.

During the night, she turned over. I saw her smiling in her sleep and I was amazed. How could she go through so much pain today and still smile in her sleep? I loved the way she smiled. I moved closer to her and grabbed her hand lightly, kissing it.

"Mm... Anakin?"

"It's me," I whispered. She let out a long sigh before she moved closer to me, leaning her head against my chest and lightly squeezing my hand. She kissed my chest and smiled.

"I love you," she whispered back.

"I know."

She rested against my chest for several minutes, smiling uncontrollably. She went back to sleep, still holding my hand.

I drifted off into sleep.

"_How could you do this, Anakin? You say that you're proud of me, but how can you be? You're a Sith Lord!_"

"_Ahsoka, what has gotten into you?_"

"_Master Kenobi told me how disappointed he was in you. That's quite a bit. Multiply that by a hundred and you've got my amount of disappointment._"

"_Ahsoka, listen to me. He has done something to you. Snap out of it! This isn't you, Ahsoka!_"

"_He has done something to me? Who are you referring to?_"

"_Obi-Wan! He's brainwashed you. You're turning against me._"

"_No one has brainwashed me, Master. I've turned against you because I had to._"

_She began to ignite her lightsaber. I stared at her in horror. She wasn't going to attack me. She knows that I love her..._

_She jumped into the air, coming down and hitting my saber with an amazing amount of force. She began swinging wildly. I managed to block and duck away from each blow. She kept coming back hard and heavy. _

"_I don't want to fight you, Ahsoka!_" _I yelled, feeling my heart breaking. She kept coming at me and I kept blocking her until she kicked my chest. I flipped backwards, landing on my chest. My lightsaber flew out of my hand and across the ground that was full of volcanic ash. _

_I kept my head lowered to the ground. I didn't want to hurt her. I never have. I've always loved her... I __began to shed some tears while I was facing the ground._

_She spoke again, _"_And now, the student will kill the Master!_"

_I didn't lift my head, but I reached out with my mechanical hand and pulled it to me. I needed to end this._

"No!" I cried out, waking up to see the darkness of my room. I turned my head to see Ahsoka lying beside me, sound asleep. This had better not be another premonition...

I could not end Ahsoka's life. I'd never be able to live with myself. I love her too much...


	24. Unwanted Rescue

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I woke up to hear several blaster shots. I lurched into a sitting position. I looked to the left and Anakin was gone. I jumped off of the bed and ran out of the room.

"Ahsoka!"

I looked toward the voice. It was Master Kenobi. What was he doing here? He wasn't alone. He had a few other Jedi with him.

I ran over to Master Kenobi and he pulled me into a room. "Ahsoka, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. What's going on? Where's Anakin?"

"He's turned against us, Ahsoka. He went to Coruscant and killed everyone in the temple. The temple is burning. Senator Amidala contacted me since she couldn't get a hold of either of you. We have to kill him."

"I can't kill him! I love him!"

"Ahsoka, listen to me! He is a Sith Lord. We've lost him."

"He still loves me! I know he does!"

He grabbed me and pulled me back outside. This wasn't Tatooine. Where were we now? "Master, where are we?"

"We're aboard a Separatist cruiser. I have reason to believe that Anakin and his new master are on the bridge. I need you to help me kill them."

"No..." I whispered, beginning to cry. "I can't hurt him."

I heard a door slide open and I saw Anakin walk into the room. His blue lightsaber ignited and he charged into the battle, killing several Jedi. The clone troopers were helping him.

The way he looked right now scared me. He didn't look like he felt anything. He was killing without feeling any guilt or sadness. He had become a killing machine...

Master Kenobi began to drag me away from Anakin. I pulled my arm back, glaring at him. "I can't leave Anakin. He needs me."

"Ahsoka, no!" he called out.

I ran towards Anakin. "Anakin!"

His attention snapped to me. "Ahsoka! Get somewhere safe!"

I had distracted him. His leg was slashed by a green lightsaber.

I gasped and did a flip to get over several clones and Jedi. I pulled my lightsaber into my grasp and ignited it. I slashed the Jedi, killing him in one blow. No one gets away with hurting Anakin...

He was lying on the floor, clutching his leg. "Grab onto me, Anakin," I whispered.

He was trying to hold back all cries of pain, clenching his teeth together. I grabbed his arm and tried to lift him up. "I'm fine. Go get yourself safe," he said through his teeth.

"I can't leave you."

"I don't want you to get hurt! Please, hide."

I helped him into a standing position. He looked like he had pushed the pain aside. He kissed me quickly and told me to go. I went back into our room and hid beside the bed. I pulled my knees to my chest and lowered myself nearer to the ground.

I heard the blasts stop and footsteps got closer to the door. It burst open, causing me to jump a little bit. I felt afraid of whoever had just blown the door down. I closed my eyes, waiting for them to kill me.

"Snips? Are you okay?"

I opened my eyes and jumped into a standing position, wrapping my arms around Anakin's waist. "I'm great now that you're here."

He smirked. "All right, come on. We need to get to the bridge."

He took my hand and we ran through the ship. This looked almost similar to the cruiser we used with Admiral Yularen, but it had its differences.

A door opened and we were on the bridge. Several clone troopers were manning the controls while Palpatine stood in the center. He turned around and smiled. "Ah, I'm glad you two are all right. Lord Vader, have you taken care of the Jedi scourge?"

"Yes, Master."

He held my hand tighter. When had he been called _Lord Vader? _

"Ahsoka, how are you feeling?"

"I'm –" My comlink began to beep. Master Kenobi's voice came through. "Ahsoka, where are you? We're trying to get you out of here."

I looked up at Anakin, fear written clearly on my face. His eyebrows raised slightly while his gaze never left my eyes.

"You called them in?" Palpatine yelled.

I pulled my hand away from Anakin just in time for Palpatine to order his troopers to capture me. I pulled my lightsaber out and deflected shots that came at me. Anakin stood in shock. I began running away from him, back to the door we had come through moments ago.

As I was running, shots were still coming at me. I heard footsteps chasing after me. I used the Force to begin closing the doors. They would close right after I escaped.

"Ahsoka! Wait!"

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I had been shocked. Had Ahsoka really called the Jedi in, telling them where we were? I couldn't believe it. I thought she wanted to be here.

"Ahsoka! Wait!" I called out, running after her and igniting my lightsaber. The door was beginning to close. I thought I could catch up to it before, but I was wrong. She had just gone through the door when I reached it. It sealed and I slammed my hand against its cold surface.

I growled and punched the door.

"Ahsoka..." I whispered against it. Palpatine was going to kill her...

"Lord Vader," he sighed, causing me to turn around wearily.

"You will track her down and bring her back. She can return dead or alive. Dead works for me, but I know it doesn't for you. If she doesn't come willingly, that may be what you will have to do."

"Yes... Master," I replied, slowly bowing. I was not going to kill her, there was no way. I wouldn't obey that part of the order. I would make her come back alive.

It took a few hours for the troopers to get the doors open. Ahsoka would be long gone by now. I couldn't feel her presence on the ship.

I decided to walk through the ship, heading back to my room. I took my time, seeing as though I had no idea where I should begin searching for Ahsoka.

How could she leave me like this? She had turned against me, betrayed me. I laughed darkly to myself, I had betrayed her...

My comlink began to beep. "Vader," I replied.

"_Vader?_"

"Obi-Wan," I said, clenching my teeth.

"_Anakin, that's you?_"

"Yes."

"_I just want to let you know that Ahsoka will be safe. I am not letting her out of my sight ever again after all that you've put her through. You caused those disturbances that hurt her. Do you know what __kind of emotional and mental stress that put on her?_"

I cried out in anger, ripping the comlink off of my glove and throwing it into a wall with a large amount of force. I didn't want to hear that from Obi-Wan. He always said that I was like a brother to him. How could he tell me those things and still believe that?

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

I was beyond afraid right now. I wondered how long I would have to wait before Master Kenobi lectured me.

I felt a large amount of guilt pool into me after we had left the cruiser. I had left Anakin behind. I wondered what the Sith Lord would do to him. I hoped that Palpatine cared for him as much as he had told me...

"Ahsoka."

I sat up on the bed and looked at Master Kenobi. "Master, I –"

He motioned for me to be silent. I bit my lip and he closed his eyes. "Ahsoka, I'm sorry for taking you away from him. It had to be done. It would only be a matter of time before he turned you and so forth. He may have ended up killing you someday. Is that something you want?"

"No. Of course not. I love to be alive... but I love to be around him. It hurts so much..."

"I know. I can feel the pain you're going through. I'm facing the same thing right now, you just can't feel it because I'm better at hiding it."

"How did you manage to round up these Jedi? I thought Anakin killed them all in the temple."

"I had been lucky to contact several others before they headed back to Coruscant. There was a beacon set, recalling us. I contacted Master Yoda and Master Plo. They're both safe on the ship now. Master Plo wanted to save you and so we did."

"Does he... know about Anakin and me?"

"I told him that Anakin captured you and locked you away on Tatooine. He knows that Anakin has joined the Sith. He's one hundred percent up for the challenge of bringing him down. As long as he's with the Sith, he is a threat to us."

I left the room, walking onto the bridge. Master Plo was standing there, giving orders to the Jedi who chose to pilot the ship. "Master Plo."

He turned around and reached out for me, pulling me into his arms for an embrace. "Little 'Soka. I'm glad to see that you're well."

"I need to speak with you."

"Certainly."

We walked from the bridge and entered the hallways that were secluded. "What's on your mind Little 'Soka?"

"It's about Anakin."

He growled in fury for a moment. The look on my face must have calmed him down a little bit. "I apologize," he sighed. "You may continue. What do you wish to say about him?"

"This is going to make you angrier," I paused, waiting for a reaction from him. When I got nothing, I continued. "I'm in love with him. We're together."

He yelled, "What?" It was so loud that I'm pretty sure the ship shook for a moment.

"What do you mean you're together? You of all Jedi know that that is against the Code!"

"I love him and he loves me! I know that what he's turned into isn't very pleasant, but he wasn't treating me cruelly. Master Kenobi said that he captured me and locked me up. That's not accurate. I willingly went with him to the hideout and stayed in his room because I chose to."

"You two shared a room?"

"Yes. Is there a problem with that?"

"You haven't gone so far as to... have you?"

"That is a personal matter, Master Plo. I'm sorry. I must ask you to turn the ship around. We need to go back for him."

"We are doing nothing of the sort! I'm sorry for letting you become his apprentice. That... that _monster _doesn't deserve your affection, Little 'Soka! Don't you see that? There are many men in this galaxy that you have yet to discover. You're still young. Don't settle yourself on that lunatic. He is _not _worth your time."

"I already have wasted my time on him! I love him! I don't want to leave him behind. He needs me and I need him. Without the other, we're nothing."

"He's a murderer and a liar. I wish you would understand that. Maybe someday you'll see that what I'm telling you is right."

"You know nothing about him, Master Plo. He's kind, caring, gentle, and loving. He's never wanted to hurt me. He loves me with all of his heart."

"Then why would he turn against you? I'm sure he tried to get you to join him as well, correct?"

"No! I accused him of wanting me to turn against the Jedi and he told me that he didn't want me to join them!"

"Ahsoka," he sighed. "Do not trust him. He's not worth it. He's a monster and a disgrace to the prophecy and Jedi. He's not welcome. As long as you're with us, he is not allowed to set foot on this ship. If he does, I will kill him without a second thought."

Great... Nothing I said to him would sink in. He still wanted to kill Anakin, more so now...


	25. The Next Nightmare

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Lord Vader," Palpatine said slowly, building his anger toward me. "Your _pet _has ejected herself from the Republic cruiser. She is in an escape pod heading for Mustafar. I will be on Coruscant awaiting your return. This base is nothing now. Do not come back here."

"Yes, my Master," I replied, bowing my head. I stood and turned to leave. I was hit with several bolts of lightning, throwing me against the far wall.

"Do not fail me because you love her. You can either bring her back or kill her. She must be taken care of at once."

"It... will be done," I replied through my teeth. I stood once again and made it out of the room this time. I ran to the landing bay and jumped into my starfighter.

Once I was in the cockpit, I closed my eyes. Palpatine wanted Ahsoka dead, but I didn't have the heart to kill her. She had betrayed us, but I still loved her. I opened my eyes and set the coordinates for Mustafar. Why was she going there in the first place?

My starfighter left the base and flew out into the Tatooine air, leaving the atmosphere and locking into the hyperspace ring.

The swirls of hyperspace enclosed me for a few hours until the controls beeped, indicating that I was nearing Mustafar. I sighed and pulled out of hyperspace. I saw the fiery planet beneath me. I unlocked myself from the hyperspace ring.

I manually flew down to the planet, entering the atmosphere and landing on a large platform of molten rock. There were several large rock formations that jutted out from the surface. I could feel Ahsoka's presence nearby. Oddly enough, it began to rain.

I opened the hatch and jumped out of my starfighter. The rain poured down on me as lightning stuck through the sky. I looked up, sensing that Ahsoka was higher above me. She was at the top of a large formation.

I was about to get back in my starfighter when it flew away from me, sliding across the platform and falling off the edge into the lava below. I looked up, wondering if Ahsoka had done that. I didn't see her, but it probably had been her.

I sighed and moved toward the large formation, grabbing at rocks that stuck out. I slowly made my way up, taking several minutes. As I neared the top, I noticed that the rocks I could grab onto were becoming fewer. There weren't very many at the very top. I grunted as I reached out further.

My hand made contact with the top. I swung my other arm over to the top and pulled myself up. I grunted as a small edge poked into my chest. I swung my legs over and stood up slowly. I balanced myself against a rock that was beside me. I stared at the ground for a moment to catch my breath before looking up. Ahsoka was standing across the formation with her back turned toward me.

"Ahsoka," I called out.

She didn't turn to face me, but she began to speak. "Are you... _proud _of me, Master?"

"Uh..." I stuttered momentarily. "Of course, Snips. Of course I'm proud of you."

"Then why did you never show me that you were. If you were proud, wouldn't you have stayed with the Jedi? No, I guess not. You decided to join the Sith," she said, turning toward me.

"Ahsoka, where are you going with this?"

She rolled her eyes, growing angrier by the moment. I could feel it building up inside of her. "Where am I going with this? I'm doing as I should. The question is, where are you going with this? Master Plo gave me reasons to not trust you, reasons that I thought were wrong. I began to think a bit and I realized that he was right about you. How could you do this, Anakin? You say that you're proud of me, but how can you be? You're a Sith Lord!"

"Ahsoka, what has gotten into you?"

"Master Kenobi told me how disappointed he was in you. That's quite a bit. Multiply that by a hundred and you've got my amount of disappointment."

"Ahsoka, listen to me. He has done something to you. Snap out of it! This isn't you, Ahsoka!"

"He has done something to me? Who are you referring to?"

"Obi-Wan! He's brainwashed you. You're turning against me."

"No one has brainwashed me, Master. I've turned against you because I had to."

She began to ignite her lightsaber. I stared at her in horror. She wasn't going to attack me. She knows that I love her...

She jumped into the air, coming down and hitting my saber with an amazing amount of force. She began swinging wildly. I managed to block and duck away from each blow. She kept coming back hard and heavy.

"I don't want to fight you, Ahsoka!" I yelled, feeling my heart breaking. She kept coming at me and I kept blocking her until she kicked my chest. I flipped backwards, landing on my chest. My lightsaber flew out of my hand and across the ground that was full of volcanic ash.

I kept my head lowered to the ground. I didn't want to hurt her. I never have. I've always loved her... I began to shed some tears while I was facing the ground.

She spoke again, "And now, the student will kill the Master!"

I didn't lift my head, but I reached out with my mechanical hand and pulled it to me. I needed to end this.

For a moment, I thought about everything that had just transpired. My feelings immediately became horrified, as did my expression. This was my premonition coming true. Everything I had seen had just come to be real. I heard her lightsaber swing through the air as she jumped to attack me again. I stood up quickly, putting my mechanical hand up toward her. I had a bit more Force in this hand...

I closed my fingers slightly, stopping her in the air. She released her lightsaber, dropping it a few feet to the ground. She clutched at her neck, trying to pry the invisible force from it. I was choking her.

Her feet began to squirm in the air, having no ground to place them on. I watched as her fury transformed into desperation. She was trying to find a way out of my grip.

Her eyes met mine for a brief moment, expressing the terror that I could feel inside of her. I saw her eyes closing slowly until her head fell backwards. I stared in horror at the display. She was in the air, not moving. I quickly brought her to me, pulling her limp body into my arms.

She was still alive, but I had almost killed her. She was unconscious now...

The rain continued to pour as I sat there, kissing her neck, hoping that she would come to soon. I felt terrible. I could have killed her... I would have if she hadn't met my eyes.

"Ahsoka," I whispered, tears beginning to form in my eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

I placed her on the ground, turning away from her. I placed my hands beneath me as I leaned forward, bowing my head. I closed my eyes, hearing the sound of the pouring rain and mentally torturing myself for what I had done to her.

If she didn't make it out of here alive, I was going to jump off of this – I was interrupted when I heard her coughing. I lifted my head to look at her. Her coughing caused her to lurch forward into a sitting position. She sat there, coughing a little more before I immediately jumped toward her, landing in a kneeling position in front of her.

I wrapped my arms around her tightly, pulling her close and letting her know that I was very sorry. I pulled back to look at her. She smiled at me and I returned it.

"Ahsoka, I am so sorry!" I gasped quickly. "I never meant to hurt you. I didn't want to."

"Calm down, all right?" she laughed. "I was stupid for doing all of that. I shouldn't have gone against you, even if Master Kenobi and Master Plo told me terrible things..."

"I'm sorry for becoming everything they told you I was."

"_Ahsoka, come in. This is Master Kenobi._"

She looked at me, afraid of what I was going to say. I nodded toward her wrist where the comlink was located. "Talk to him."

"Ahsoka here, Master."

"_Where are you? I was just told that you weren't aboard the ship any longer._"

"I was upset, so I jumped into an escape pod. I landed on Mustafar. Would you mind... coming to get me?"

"_Master Plo is going to be very upset when he hears about this incident, but yes, we will come get you. He would never leave you behind on that planet._"

"Thank you, Master Kenobi."

"_You're welcome, Ahsoka. We didn't get too far, so we'll be there shortly._"

She turned off the comlink and looked at me. "Master Plo is going to kill you."

"I kind of figured," I said, sighing and looking at the ground. She reached out toward me, pulling me back to her chest.

"I think Master Kenobi was taking the ship to Coruscant. Before I left, he and Master Plo said something about the Sith still being there. They want to destroy whatever is left."

"I'll help them."

"What? You can't. You're part of the Sith now, Anakin."

"Just because Palpatine calls me Lord Vader... Ahsoka, that doesn't make me a Sith. I'll help them. I'll trick him into thinking that I still pledge myself to his cause."

"What if he catches on to what you're planning?"

"He won't," I said, smiling weakly at her. "I'm good at hiding things."

I laid back onto the ground, resting against it, listening to the lava flowing beneath us. Ahsoka curled up into my side and threw her arm across my chest.

She closed her eyes and slowly drifted off into sleep. I watched the fiery sky burn as lightning pierced it. I loved feeling the rain hit my face. It washed away all of my worries. Ahsoka didn't want to kill me now. She was back to the same Ahsoka that she had always been.

I wrapped my arm underneath and around her, holding her close to me.

After several hours of lying in the rain, a ship flew overhead. That must be Obi-Wan. I watched it fly over us and land a short distance away.

I picked Ahsoka up in my arms, holding her close to me, and began to walk toward the ship. As I neared it, the ramp lowered and Master Plo and Obi-Wan ran down it. Master Plo ignited his lightsaber, charging at me. He was very close to hitting me before he realized that I was holding Ahsoka.

"Little 'Soka!" he gasped, looking at her. "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing," I replied, glaring at him. "Now, are you going to make me stand here in the rain while I'm holding her or do you want me to go dry her off?"

Master Plo deactivated his lightsaber and moved aside. Obi-Wan stared at me in disbelief. Ahsoka hadn't been lying about the disappointment that was rolling off of him either.

I walked up the ramp and entered the ship. I saw several Jedi glaring at me, but I didn't take it to heart. I knew that I deserved whatever they decided to do to me. I walked to the closest room and entered. I placed her on the bed and ran into the refresher, grabbing towels to dry her with.

As I ran back into the room, Master Plo and Obi-Wan were standing in the doorway. I began dry her montrals, lekku, and face with the towels. As I continued downwards, I heard Master Plo growl. By doing this, I hadn't meant to infuriate him. I was trying to help Ahsoka.

Her eyes opened slightly as I reached her waist. She looked at me and smiled. "Anakin."

I shushed her and kissed her lips, resulting in another growl from Master Plo. She sat up slightly, propping up on her elbows. "Where are we?"

"We're on the ship. You need to get out of those wet clothes, Ahsoka. Everything is pretty much dry..."

She looked to her right to see both masters standing in the doorway. Master Plo ran into the room, wrapping Ahsoka in a tight embrace. "Little 'Soka, I'm so sorry for upsetting you."

"It's okay, Master Plo," she whispered. "I forgive you."

"You're too forgiving," he said, turning to look at me. If it weren't for his mask, I would believe that he was glaring at me.

I felt Obi-Wan's hand rest on my shoulder. "Anakin, come with me. Ahsoka needs to get dressed. Master Plo," he said, turning toward Master Plo.

The three of us walked out, leaving Ahsoka in the room alone. I assumed that there would be something in there for her to change into.


	26. Alliance With the Jedi

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

Master Plo shoved me against the wall, holding me up by my neck. I was struggling to breathe, grasping at his hands. "Are you here to kill us, Skywalker?"

"No," I managed to gasp. I kicked my legs out, directly hitting his arm. He released me and I fell to the floor. I clutched my chest, breathing in quickly and heavily.

"Master Plo, was that really necessary?"

I heard Master Plo growl at him for even asking the question. Of course it had been necessary. He was upset with me for what I'd done and blamed me for Ahsoka's behavior. I really couldn't blame him for that, though the experience had been very traumatizing...

Once I felt that I could speak clearly, I stood up and stared right at him. "I am not here to kill anyone, except myself apparently. I'm offering my alliance to you. I realize that everything I've done is wrong and I wish to take it back."

"You can't take back the countless lives you've stolen! You destroyed the temple, along with many of the Jedi. If it weren't for us, you'd still be serving Palpatine, probably living the good life. I have no reason right now against killing you. Do you know how much I would enjoy putting my blade through your body?"

"I don't doubt the joy that would give you. If you do choose to kill me, know that Ahsoka will never forgive you. She –"

"Do not play that card with me, Skywalker. Ahsoka is like my daughter. I know that she would never stay with a monster such as what you've become. She may say that she cares deeply about you, but I don't see it. You're a murderer and a liar."

"I love Ahsoka. I kept her with me so I wouldn't have to kill her. I had no idea that Palpatine would send me to destroy the Jedi, but I wanted her safe and the only way I could keep her that way was if I brought her with me. She fought me on Mustafar and I couldn't bring myself to slay her like any opponent."

"Why did she look like you tried to kill her?"

"I –"

The door behind us slid open and Ahsoka appeared. "What's going on?"

I was still holding my neck slightly, hiding the marks that I was sure showed now. She glanced between each of us, resting her eyes on me. "What happened to your neck?"

"Nothing."

"Move your hand then."

"Ahsoka, listen –"

"Move your hand, Anakin!" she yelled, looking furious. I closed my eyes and slowly removed my hand from my neck. I heard her gasp and felt her cool fingers touching me.

"Master Plo! How could you do this to him? I told you how I felt about him. I love him. If you're going to kill him, we'll leave. I said _we _not _he_."

Obi-Wan turned away and began walking down the hallway, leaving the three of us alone. Ahsoka traced the marks on my neck as she glared at Master Plo. "Ahsoka, it's nothing, all right? I'm fine, believe me. I understand why –"

"Stop it, Anakin. I know you think you're a terrible person, but you're not. I told him how I felt about you and then he does this. I'm very disappointed in you, Master Plo," she returned.

"Little 'Soka, I don't want to lose you, but I want to get rid of this... _thing._ If he is going to remain here, I do not want to see his face. I plan on locking him in the brig."

I nodded at him, receiving a very frustrated sigh from Ahsoka. She smacked my cheek, not hurting me, but still. "He is not being locked in the brig. I'm considering throwing you in though."

She grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the room I had placed her in. She pushed me onto the bed before climbing on top of me and kissing me rather viciously.

"Ahsoka, get him out of that room right now or I will take him by force!"

She started to tear my clothes off. "I'd like to see him try," she muttered.

Once my clothes were off, she began to remove her own. "I will count to three, Ahsoka. If he isn't out of there afterward, I will drag him out."

She laughed lightly before flipped us over, placing me on top of her. "One."

The look in her eyes told me what she wanted from me and that she wanted it right now. I was slightly nervous about doing anything because Master Plo was right outside the door, threatening to come in at any moment.

"Two."

"Love me," she whispered. I sighed and gave in. I began to make love to her.

"Three!"

Just as I figured he was about to barge in, Ahsoka screamed my name.

**Later.**

Ahsoka was asleep finally. I could feel satisfaction and love inside of her. I kissed her cheek as I stood from the bed. I dressed myself quickly and walked out into the hallway. It was empty.

I held my left hand up to my face, wanting to contact Obi-Wan via comlink, but realized that I didn't have it. I had destroyed it after the last conversation Obi-Wan and I had. I had thrown it at a wall, shattering the pieces.

I sighed, rolling my eyes and heading toward the bridge of the small ship. I heard threats erupting all around me from the Jedi survivors that I hadn't killed on Coruscant.

A few lightsabers ignited and were stuck out in my direction. I didn't flinch at their closeness, but kept my pace until I reached the large doors leading onto the bridge. I walked through to see Master Plo sitting at a control panel, holding his head.

Obi-Wan was standing in the center of the bridge, looking important. I rolled my eyes as I strolled on up toward them. "Need any help?"

"Skywalker," Plo growled, lifting his head to face me. "Why would you corrupt her?"

"I –"

"She's so young..."

"We've done it before."

"Excuse me?" he asked, raising up from his seat.

"You've really done it this time, Anakin," Obi-Wan muttered, rubbing his temples. He turned around to face me and stood between Master Plo and me. "Master, calm yourself please. You must refrain from your dark thoughts."

He sighed. "You are right, Master Kenobi. I will not be lured into following a dark path by a dark mind. All you care about is corrupting her. You're trying to transform her into a Sith and look at what you did earlier... Obviously it wasn't the first time."

"I'm not trying to do anything to her. I'm not even trying to turn you against the Jedi. I want to help you destroy Palpatine."

"Palpatine?" they both asked, sounding alarmed.

"He's the Sith Lord. I thought you knew..."

"Palpatine is the Sith Lord," Obi-Wan repeated, shaking his head. "I can't believe that we didn't see this before. How could we have been so blind to this?"

"I can give you his location," I offered.

They both gave me a look, telling me to continue. "He told me that he will be waiting for me on Coruscant. That means he'll probably be in the Senate building, feeding them lies about how the Jedi tried to take over. Several of the Senators will believe him because they're so brainwashed."

"Our course was set to Coruscant," Obi-Wan replied.

"Then we'll arrive sooner. I will lure him away from the building while you hide nearby. Once we're alone, you will be able to strike at him."

"What if he finds out that you deceived him?"

"He can't," I replied, smirking. "I'm not going to give it away. He won't know what hit him until he's gone."

"All right, Anakin, tell us the entire plan. Where are we to go?"

After several minutes of rushing around, we pulled out a map of Coruscant. The holomap wasn't working on the ship, so we needed an actual one. I scanned over it very briefly, getting myself familiarized with it.

"This," I began, pointing toward a landing deck for large transports. "This is where I will bring him. I'm going to need a new comlink when we have a chance. Once I get one, I will contact you. You will be positioned here, Obi-Wan. Master Plo, you and Ahsoka will be stationed here. No one is to move until I give the order."

They both nodded, taking in everything I had said. I continued, pointing at bits of the map. "This is perfect because the other remaining Jedi can take a transport and arrive at the deck. I'll lead him to the end of the platform, bringing him closer to the edge."

Again, they nodded. They were memorizing the spots I was pointing to, placing the exact area in Coruscant.

"Have your comlinks tuned in to one channel and your hands ready to grab your lightsabers. Palpatine's focus will be on me, hopefully. This will give you enough time to dash across the platform and attack him. Now, he has a Force-lightning ability and it is extremely painful. We can't allow him to use it, so we must act quickly."

I felt like an extreme turncoat. I had betrayed the Jedi, becoming a Sith Lord, and now here I was giving information to the Jedi. I felt their deep appreciation.

"That's all you really need to know. Master Plo, you will show Ahsoka where to go. She's asleep right now. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go rest for a little bit."

They both nodded and I left. I walked across the decks, not meeting a single eye that had their glare on me. I entered the room Ahsoka and I shared, seeing her still asleep.

I removed my shirt and sat on the bed. I crawled across it and laid beside her, draping my arm over her side. She moaned for a moment before turning over to face me. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hello, beautiful. How are you feeling?"

"Tired. How about you?"

"Pretty much the same," I said, smiling. "I just made up with Obi-Wan and Master Plo by planning out our attack on Palpatine. You and the others are the only ones not aware of your role. Yours is to stay with Master Plo."

"I don't want to be with him at all right now. Why can't I stay with you?"

"Palpatine will kill you. He believes that you called the Jedi in and he'll stop at nothing to bring you down. He doesn't care about how I feel. He told me to kill you."

She sighed and pulled me closer to her. "I don't want him to hurt you, love. I can't believe that I wanted to. I'm sorry for attacking you on Mustafar. I don't know what came over me..."

"You're stressed and not feeling like yourself. The decisions I've made have effected you. It's understandable."

"But I love you more than that."

I shushed her and kissed her lightly. "I understand what you went through. It's my fault that this all happened anyway. If I hadn't fallen for Palpatine's word, we wouldn't be talking about plotting revenge or apologizing for attacking each other. You do remember that I'm the one who choked you?"

"It's not your fault. You had to choke me to stop me and it worked. You saved your own life, which I'm thankful for."

"I saved myself long enough so Master Plo could kill me. He's upset about earlier."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Of course he is."


	27. En Route to Coruscant

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

"Anakin, are you absolutely sure about doing this?" she asked me for the hundredth time since last night. In five minutes, she had asked me this question about twenty times. I don't understand why she keeps asking me if I'm sure when I keep telling her that I am.

"Ahsoka," I replied, sighing. "I am one hundred percent sure about this. I can do this as long as you and the others can fulfill your part. Relax, we don't arrive for a while, okay? Let's just try to calm down until we get there. Once we get there, you can worry about me all you like. I'll be fine regardless."

She frowned and looked away from me. "Hey," I whispered, pulling her face back to me. "I'll be fine. Nothing is going to happen to me because Palpatine isn't going to realize what I'm doing. Stop your worrying."

She bit her lip and closed her eyes. I could tell that she was holding something in and I wanted her to let me know what it was. She burst into tears and threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. "I can't lose you. I just can't. No one understands why I love you, but I know why. That's what matters. I don't care what they say about us or how much they say that you don't love me. If you aren't here with me, I'll go crazy..."

I rested one hand on her lower back and the other on the singular lek in the back, stroking it lightly. "If I'm not with you, I'll be the same way, Ahsoka. I do love you and I'll never stop loving you. Just trust me, okay? I'll make it out of there in one piece. All I have to do is distract Palpatine long enough for the rest of them to attack."

"What if you're wrong and things don't go as planned?"

"You mean what if I get killed? Ahsoka, I won't. I'm not going to die. Palpatine wouldn't do that because he believes I'm loyal to him. In truth, Lord Vader is pledged to him, but Anakin Skywalker is not," I smirked.

"You're not answering the question. I asked _what if _you get killed?"

"There's no answer I can give besides the obvious one. I will not die because I will not fail. This is... a _very _important mission. If I fail, Palpatine will never die. He _has _to die."

She kissed me, running her hands up my back and through my hair. I leaned backwards on the bed, pulling her along with me. She began to remove her clothing, not taking her lips away from mine. I did the same.

Just as we were about to get started, there was a knock on the door. I sighed and cursed under my breath, which is something I never do. Ahsoka giggled above me.

"Yes?" she called out.

"Is... _Anakin _in there?" Master Plo asked, sounding upset.

"Yes," I answered. I heard him clear his throat and saw his shadow shift feet. "Do you need me?"

"Would you mind stepping out here for a moment? If you two aren't..."

I laughed, as did Ahsoka. I glanced at her for a brief moment and she nodded. I grabbed my pants and pulled them back on, walking to the door. I turned around to see Ahsoka cover herself up beneath the blanket and smile at me. I smirked and allowed the door to slide open.

"Yes?"

He motioned for me to step out of the room. He seemed flustered by my bare chest and ruffled hair. I internally laughed, wanting Ahsoka to see the reaction I was getting out of him.

"I must..." he paused. "_Apologize _for my actions earlier. I was upset with you for your betrayal and for corrupting Little 'Soka. She is like a daughter to me. I know you wouldn't understand, but a parent hates to see their child grow up quickly..."

"I understand what you're saying. I'm sorry for 'corrupting' her, as you say. She and I willingly participate and she's the one to start it actually. I love her, Master, I really do. I hate what I became. It... wasn't what I hoped for."

He grunted slightly in disgust at what I had said before composing himself once again. "What did you expect from the dark side?"

"I was told that I would become stronger, which wasn't the key point of joining, Master. Palpatine told me that Ahsoka would be safe with me as long as I remained with him. He... ordered me to kill her and I couldn't bring myself to it. I can't hurt her and if I have, I never meant to."

For a few moments, we stood in the hallway in complete silence. He put a hand on my shoulder lightly and whispered, "I know you'll take care of her, Skywalker. I'm... putting my trust in you to keep her alive and well."

I was shocked by the amount of trust he was suddenly placing on me. It felt... _good_. "Yes sir. I will do everything I can to live up to those expectations."

"You had better or you will be in a great amount of trouble, young one. I believed that you didn't love her, but I can see it now that you do. I grieve for her growing up, but I know she's in good hands. You will never leave her side willingly."

I smiled as he said those words. I couldn't control the happiness I felt. Master Plo was finally accepting the fact that Ahsoka and I were in love with each other. He had finally trusted me and I truly appreciated that. I bowed to him respectfully.

"Thank you, Master Plo."

"You're welcome, Anakin. Go get your rest. We will be arriving in Coruscant in a few hours."

I nodded and headed back into the room, knocking Ahsoka over. She was still wrapped in the blanket, but lying on the floor. I laughed as I fell on top of her. "What were you doing at the door, little one?"

"I..." she bit her lip, growing nervous. "I wanted to make sure he didn't hurt you again."

"He didn't," I smiled. "He trusts me with you. He's finally realized the love we share. He told me that you're in good hands and he believes I'll take care of you."

I picked her up, carrying her bridal style to the bed and laying her on it. I crawled up beside her and kissed her slowly, taking my time to passionately kiss her. She tugged at the hem of my pants and I smiled against her lips. "You have a one track mind."

She giggled and I helped her with the pants. I continued to kiss her until it lead to better things.

**Three hours later.**

I woke up suddenly, feeling extremely worn out and scared. I'm not sure why this feeling was so dominant at the moment, but it didn't feel right. I felt like something was going to happen. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ahsoka sleeping peacefully. I turned over and leaned over her body to kiss her cheek lightly, not waking her.

She moaned in her sleep, smiling and whispering my name a few times. I ran my fingers across her skin, lightly tracing lines down her arm and across her waist. I pulled her closer to me and laid my head behind her lek, kissing it.

That terrible feeling remained, bothering me very much, but there was nothing I could do about it. I had no premonition that would clue me in on a future event like the others.

After about twenty minutes of lying beside her, awake, I sighed and rolled over to the edge of my side. I grabbed my pants from the floor and pulled them on. I stood and grabbed my shirt. I turned around to cover Ahsoka up, not wanting her to freeze without me there.

Once I looked half decent and made sure she would be okay, I left the room. I walked slowly down several hallways, seeing that the other Jedi weren't glaring in my direction or making rude gestures.

They weren't even paying attention to me now. I didn't mind that, but I felt like I'd deserved the punishments that they dealt me.

My vision began to blur as several white flashes erupted. I fell to the floor, not feeling a thing. I was getting bits and pieces of a premonition. This time, I knew it was a premonition.

I was standing beside Palpatine, calmly talking to him. The vision was just around the two of us for a few moments until it spanned backwards a bit, revealing several clone troopers. _Flash. _Ahsoka was running toward me and my mouth opened, no sound coming out of it. _Flash. _I saw myself looking up at the sky and wondered what would happen to me. This time, there was no flash. The premonition faded into the black and dissolved.

I began to breathe heavily while lying on the ground. What if Ahsoka was right? _What if I did die?_ I couldn't take any chances. I had to accomplish this mission. Palpatine had to be stopped in order to save the remaining Jedi.

I clutched at my chest, feeling a tidal wave of dread consume my emotions. I had to make it out of this. There was no way... I couldn't leave Ahsoka alone.

"Ahsoka..." I whispered, tears falling from my eyes. I told her that I wouldn't die, that there was no way, but now I realized how wrong I was. I _was _going to die...

After a few minutes, I collected myself and sat up against the wall. I pulled my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around them, and resting my head on them. What was I going to do?

I was going to fail the Jedi, myself, Master Plo, _and Ahsoka. _I couldn't prevent this from stopping itself. I also couldn't tell Ahsoka that I'd seen a vision of myself being killed. That would give her more reason to worry about me and not allow me to lead this plan.

Master Plo came up the hallway and saw me. He ran and knelt in front of me. "Are you injured?"

I shook my head, wiping the trail of tears from my face. "What's wrong, Anakin?"

"It's nothing," I whispered, my voice cracking. I cleared my throat before speaking again. "I'm just worried. Ahsoka believes that the worst is going to happen on this mission."

"Knowing you," he began, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You won't let the worst come true. Your heart and mind has always been determined to be the very best. I doubt that you will fail this. Little 'Soka has always been like this with people she's close to."

He chuckled for a moment. "I remember when she turned eleven years old. I came back to the temple in extremely bad condition. She screamed and cried, wishing that I'd never gone on that mission. I had to do it and that was how I was supposed to come back from it. Your destiny is much brighter than mine. I can see that many good things will come out of you."

"Is there a possibility that I might fail?"

"There is always the possibility, but I believe the chances of _you _failing are extremely low. You have nothing to worry about. You will do just fine. You will make it out of this alive."

I bit my lip and sighed. I glanced at his mask for a few moments before shaking my head. "I hope you're right, Master Plo. I hope you're right..."


	28. Until the End

**POV: Anakin Skywalker**

I rushed around the ship, getting some exercise to try to clear my head. I was about to do something extremely important to everyone that was on this ship. If I failed, that would cost the lives of everyone. Everything I did counted.

I was still disturbed by my premonition, but perhaps I could change everything that was to happen. I couldn't just drop like that. I had a job to do, people to save.

Ahsoka counted on me to provide her safety and security, as did the other Jedi. Master Plo trusted me to take care of Ahsoka. How was I to do that if I died?

My knees gave out and I crumpled down onto the floor. I landed on my chest, breathing heavily. I couldn't help but think that I was going to die. I felt horrible, so it must come true.

I sighed and bit my lip, slamming my fist against the hard floor. If I couldn't do this, then I was a complete and utter failure. My life wouldn't have been worth living if I'd come this far only to fall and kill those who depended on me.

_Stand up, Skywalker_. I pushed myself up onto my knees until I believed that I could stand up without falling down again. My balance had returned to me, though I still had to hold onto the wall for reassurance.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan called out, announcing his sudden arrival. I looked up to see the old man coming down the hallway. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine. What's up?"

"We're landing on Coruscant now."

I nodded, feeling a pool of dread well up inside of me. "Thank you, Obi-Wan. I'll... I'll be ready to do what I'm assigned. We can't fail."

"I know you won't fail. None of us believe you will. We all put our faith in you."

_That _was not helping my situation. Obi-Wan reached his hand out toward me, holding something. He opened his palm to show me my comlink that I would use to signal them. I took it from him and smiled weakly, wishing that this moment could last longer. Obi-Wan looked at me with a deep sadness. "You can do this, Anakin. _I _believe in you."

I nodded and attached the comlink to my glove. "It's already in sync with our comlinks. You press this button," he said, pointing to the button. "And you'll be able to quickly contact us. Make sure you don't lose your lightsaber. I know how well you keep it attached to you..."

I chuckled and nodded. "Thank you, Obi-Wan."

He nodded and walked away. I went in the direction of the room Ahsoka was sleeping in. I slowly dragged my feet across the floor, not wanting to leave her side ever again in my life.

I entered the room, seeing Ahsoka bundled inside the blanket. I smiled and listened as the door closed. I walked over to her and leaned across the bed to kiss her lek. She moaned and sat up a bit. "Anakin?"

"It's me," I whispered, continuing to kiss her lek as she turned over to face me. Her smile took my breath away. "We're landing on Coruscant now."

The smile vanished within moments and a single tear fell from her eye. "Ahsoka, please, don't cry. I'll be fine, okay?"

She nodded and pulled me closer to her. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed the section between her montrals. "I'm not going to leave you alone."

"Make love to me one more time before we get off of this ship, Anakin," she whispered. I kissed her on the lips and began to take my clothing off.

**Twenty Minutes Later.**

"Why do I feel like this is a good-bye?"

"It isn't. You said it yourself that you were going to be fine. I believe that, Anakin. I want you to come back. You told me that nothing will happen to you because you know what you're doing."

"I do know what I'm doing."

She kissed me and stroked my hair, now a mess. She lifted herself from the bed, pulling me along with her. She took me into the refresher and we quickly showered.

I wrapped a towel around my waist as she covered her body. I kissed her again. "I love you."

She smiled against my lips and put her arms around my neck. "I love you, too."

I picked her up and carried her back into the other room, placing her on the bed. I quickly dressed myself and picked out a fresh outfit for her to wear. I dressed her, feeling that maybe this would be the last time I was able to.

She kissed me and ran her fingers through my hair once more. My comlink began to beep. I sighed and waited for Ahsoka to give in and tell me to answer it. "Answer it."

She reluctantly pulled away from me, taking my other hand in hers. "Anakin here."

"_Anakin, we've landed. Are you and Ahsoka ready?_"

"Ready as ever, Master."

Ahsoka and I walked hand-in-hand out of the room and down several hallways leading to the landing ramp of the ship. I was to go to the Senate building, lure Palpatine outside, and allow the rest of the plan to unfold.

We walked down the landing ramp, seeing everyone all set and ready to go. There was a bit of raining pouring down on us. I looked down at Ahsoka and smiled.

"You take care of yourself, Anakin..." she whispered sadly.

I rested a hand on her cheek and kissed her lightly. "You, too."

She nodded and began to walk away with Master Plo to her position that I had assigned her. I began to walk in the opposite direction, feeling myself drown in sadness. I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around, watching Ahsoka's back.

"Ahsoka!" I screamed, tears falling down my face. I felt like this was the last time I would see her. I hated to feel this way, but if it were true, I wanted her to know that I loved her with every bit of my soul.

She turned around, eyes wide. I charged across the vast distance between us. She took a few steps before I embraced her tightly in my arms. I let the tears fall freely and even sobbed. Her hands ran through my hair one last time.

"You're all I've ever wanted. You're everything to me, Ahsoka. I can't live without you. I love you so much. I love you more than anything in the galaxy."

She began to cry. I put my hands on either side of her face and leaned in to kiss her deeply and passionately. This definitely felt like the last time my lips would meet hers. I put all of my emotion into the kiss, taking her breath away. Tears kept falling down my face along with the raindrops.

I slowly pulled back. "I love you, Ahsoka Tano."

She broke down and leaned against my chest. "I love you, Anakin. Please, be careful."

I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Stay safe until I call for you, okay? I know I keep telling you this, but I love you. I'm going to miss you every second that I'm away."

She nodded and I could tell that she felt the same. She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment. "Go," I whispered. "May the Force be with you."

Her eyes opened and she laughed slightly. "May the Force be with you."

I kissed her one last time before releasing her and watching her walk away from me with Master Plo. The other Jedi took their positions on the transports and such that would wind up on the landing deck.

I had to do what I needed to do before it was too late. I made my way toward the Senate building. After several minutes of walking, I made it. I was drenched in the rain, but it didn't matter. It kept the tears hidden.

Luckily for me, Palpatine was heading out toward me. "Lord Vader!" he called out.

I ran over to him to begin my master plan. "Master," I whispered, bowing.

Several clone troopers that had originally been in my squadron walked out behind him. Their helmets hid their expressions from me, but I could tell that they were watching my movements.

"Has your Padawan been taken care of?"

"Yes, my Master. She has been dealt with."

He nodded and we began walking directly toward the landing deck. This seemed easier than I'd imagined.

Palpatine seemed unaware of what I was doing. I was tricking him, allowing him to believe that I remained loyal to him. I was nowhere near that anymore. I had rejoined the Jedi, allying myself with them.

He and I were walking across the large landing deck. Rain was pouring down on us, drenching our robes even more than they already were. The winds whipped around us. I could hardly see in front of me. It was probably the middle of the night right now, but I had lost track of time, especially with the way this storm was raging on.

I knew Ahsoka and Obi-Wan would put the plan into action soon. This was going to be the end, drawing everything to a close.

My squadron of men were walking closely behind me. I could sense their distrust. All of a sudden, grains of sand blew everywhere, hitting the faces of my squadron. Where had it come from? We were on Coruscant. There was no sand here.

Nightfall arrived and we were off our guard, any single movement could have slipped passed me. Was any of this really worth it? I was beginning to doubt the mission. I could possibly get killed, as could the others who were hiding in the nearby area. I wondered how Palpatine hadn't sensed them before now.

I could feel Ahsoka coming close and I could hear her lightsaber ignite. "Ahsoka!" I yelled, spinning around to face her. She was going ahead of the plan.

Palpatine ordered me to kill her, but I was frozen. How could I kill the person that I had loved most? I had become a terrible monster when I joined the Sith. Now I was going to set things right.

"No," I whispered, turning on him. He laughed darkly, whispering how I had become untrustworthy to him, betraying and lying to him. I ignited my lightsaber too slowly. A barrage of Force-lightning crashed against my chest, sending me backwards. I was paralyzed as I watched Ahsoka drift further away from me. I was falling off of the landing deck.

Her face fades away into the night with a scream as we separate. How could I live without her? Could I ever tell her how much she meant to me? I'd expressed my love to her before meeting Palpatine, but that was only a piece of how I truly felt.

My life was fading away from me and I was leaving Ahsoka. My eyes looked up and I could see the premonition coming to life before my eyes. _This is it._

I couldn't move anything. I felt the impact of my body hitting the ground and everything faded away from me into darkness.

_I love you, Ahsoka..._

**POV: Ahsoka Tano**

Several weeks had passed since Anakin's disappearance. I've been feeling really sick lately, especially since we couldn't find him. With the remaining Jedi, we spread out across Coruscant searching for him.

We couldn't find any of his belongings or his body. We searched the alleyway that he had fallen into. No one said that they had seen him come out of it.

Master Kenobi and I were very suspicious of that fact. Maybe he had joined the Force...

I couldn't believe that Anakin had actually died. Knowing him, he'd probably survived, but then things wouldn't add up. Why had no one seen him escape the alleyway? Why hadn't he come back by now?

It choked me up every time I thought about it. I woke up this morning with another sick feeling. I had been overeating, hardly gaining any weight.

I ran into the refresher of Master Kenobi's new apartment. He and I were under alias names so we couldn't be found by Palpatine. I released all of the contents of my stomach into the toilet, feeling extremely wiped out afterward.

Master Kenobi walked in and helped me clean up. "Ahsoka, this is getting pretty serious. You should go get checked up by a medical droid."

I nodded and cautiously left the apartment. I jumped into a speeder – Anakin's old one that held memories. I drove to a nearby medical bay and had a droid check up on me.

I laid on a bed and relaxed, picturing Anakin's smile and our final passionate kiss in my head, while the droid ran scans on me. There was a buzzing noise and several clicking sounds. "The results are in, Miss Tano."

"Well? What's wrong with me?"

"You are a month and a half pregnant."

**A/N: This is the end of _The Heart of Two._ I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you all for reading and reviewing. I'm thankful that you took time out of your lives to read this. I do, however, apologize for the horrible ending. **


End file.
